david kelly tango vision
As we strive to provide a cultural experience, we searched for artists who are able to interpret the beauty of dance. We met David during one of our first Moonlight Tango events and we were immediately captured by both his down-to-earth approach and passion for dancing. As the photographer of the Queensland Ballet, David already had a body of work in the world of dance photography. We feel very honoured that he has chosen to expose his art-work during our events and take photos of dancers in our milongas. Some of his work is featured on this page (Copyright @ David Kelly Photography). He often participates to our events and we hope to seem him more often on the dance floor.
For more about him and his wonderful work with the Queensland Ballet please go to his Website and follow him on Instagram.
david kelly
the artist
Born in 1963 and raised in the suburbs of Brisbane, David Kelly was, from a young age, drawn close to the raw embers of Australia’s heartland: its sweeping red deserts; its towering rainforests; its lone-store shanty towns pulsing with hidden life, all-too-real death and rich, earthy colour. Perhaps he’s a storyteller first and a photographer second, a true photo-journalist. A seeker is probably a more apt description, a man searching for a source and often finding it: in the serpentine trail of an endless Cape York river; in the gentle hang of a dew-heavy forest fern; in the cheeky smile of an outback Chinese store clerk, proud as punch of the hot tin shack that he calls home. His camera moves slowly, as if he’s giving the lens time to connect with the land; to feel the dirt; to connect with the story; connect with the source. He has spent the latter part of a globe-crossing career immersing himself in the culture and stories of indigenous Australia, a world he has entered with care, respect and a soft footprint. His secret is time. He might spend a full day with his subject before he even clicks a shot off. That’s how he always finds the heart because a heart needs time to open. He tells the story with truth, insight, beauty and wonder. And every now and then his work transcends the story, transcends time and place, and there before you, as the chill reaches the bottom of your spine, are answers. Trent Dalton, journalist.