Siempre Flamenco [Live at the Miami Beach Bandshell]
Was back at the newly renamed Miami Beach Bandshell (previously the North Beach Bandshell) this past weekend since my very first visit to this historic live music venue back in April of this year. Back then, I was there to photograph singer/songwriter Trevor Hall. This weekend, I brought my Sony A7RIII (and a few good lenses) to photograph Siempre Flamenco, a not-for-profit arts organization dedicated to preserving the art of flamenco through fresh and engaging performances.
First a little history lesson: The Miami Beach Bandshell was built in 1961 by Norman Giller and Associates, pioneers of what has come to be called Miami Modernist architecture or MiMo. The Bandshell is an anchor of the North Shore Historic District, which received its designation on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009 based on the characteristic style of MiMo. Since its construction, the Bandshell has served as a community center and gathering place for North Beach residents with big bands playing on Saturday nights. In the 1960s, The Mike Douglas TV Show filmed on location here during the winter months. In the 1970s, benches were removed and the venue was used as a roller skating rink.
Since 2015, it has been managed for the City of Miami Beach by The Rhythm Foundation – a Miami Beach-based nonprofit cultural organization that has been presenting diverse international music in Miami-Dade since 1988. It’s a truly wonderful place to catch a live music show or performance (walking distance to the beach!). If you haven’t yet been there, take a look at their events calendar and pay them a visit (there’s a huge parking lot right across the street!). Nuff said.
And if you’re wondering why anyone would photograph a colorful flamenco performance in black and white, for one, stage lighting can create some unusual (even distracting) colors that can, in my opinion, divert attention away from from what the photographer intended the viewer to see. Black and white photography strips away all distracting colors (especially a stage’s multi-colored lighting) allowing the beholder to better focus on the image. That said, sometimes colors can enhance an image so I have reserved a few images from this shoot in color and you van view the gallery on my SmugMug Page
