Breaking
Dance
Go behind the lens of dance photographer Little Shao
Find out how Little Shao went from a B-Boy who entered underground contests to becoming the powerhouse that took dance photography to another level.
Find out how France's Little Shao transformed from a B-Boy into an internationally renowned culture and dance photographer, as he describes, in his own words, the events that led to him capturing the most exciting breaking event in the world, his most challenging shots to date and how he's taking the artform to the next level.
Continue reading to get the lowdown straight from Little Shao.
Introduction
I started out as a B-Boy in 1997. From the beginning, I was 100 percent involved in the underground scene. Not only was I entering battles, but I was taking photos and witnessing all the main events that happened.
As I got deeper into breaking, I felt that a lack of photographic documentation was there. At that point, I started going through all the shots I'd taken throughout my own journey.
I decided that I wanted to show my own vision of the scene and introduce people across the world to the culture, so that they'd have the same respect and passion for breaking that I did. I wanted to make breaking visuals better than anything else that had been done and take dance photography to the next level, so that's exactly what I did.
I wanted to make breaking visuals better than anything else that had been done
Craziest project
To be honest, I can't find one that I would specify as the craziest of all projects. The most powerful photos I've taken usually come from something totally unplanned and unexpected. Any time that I'm on tour around the world with the team, it's always the wild and crazy type of projects that I love. They continually push me to find the best opportunities and shots, all at these insane locations and with the most talented and dope dancers on the planet.
Dream shoot
I've shot breaking campaigns for famous sports brands that you can find on billboards, shops and online, but even as the breaking scene stretches worldwide, it's not as mainstream as other sports. I believe it'll happen one day, but, for now, pushing it to that level is still my biggest challenge. A dream project for me would be to take a creative group shot that incorporates all of Red Bull's top athletes.
You need to find out which environment you enjoy besides photography and try to capture it
Biggest rush
What gives me the biggest rush, is to travel to a country I've never been to before and create a masterpiece in a really short time. After that, what I enjoy most about my job is meeting people. I love really digging into their personality and finding out as much about them as I can. The more you know about a B-Boy or B-Girl, the more you can reflect that within your photo and that gives me a rush of another type.
Advice for aspiring photographers
You need to find out which environment you enjoy besides photography and try to capture it. If you want to become a photographer who shoots the breaking scene however, you need to understand it. You either need to be a breaker who can use the creativity of their own breaking to create shots with bodies and shapes of other B-Boys or B-Girls, or you need to be a photographer who knows the timing of the moves and understands how a body works in movement.
5 of his favourite images
1. B-Boy Neguin at the Yamuna River
B-Boy Neguin flies with the doves above the Yamuna River
© Little Shao/Red Bull Content Pool
I took this photo when we were on the Red Bull BC One Allstar Tour in India. It was the night before we travelled back home, but, as always, I like to keep creating up until the last minute and take any opportunity that comes for a good shot.
We were at a party when I heard about this location that sounded too dope to miss, but to get to the Yamuna River by sunrise, we had to go straight from the party and meet in the lobby at 3am. We followed a local photographer who knew about the location, but really had no idea what to expect.
When we arrived there, in a very hidden area, we discovered this amazing river with a super early morning vibe. A guy came out from what felt like nowhere and brought us on a boat. That's when we started seeing the sunrise with the birds in the background. I asked Neguin to jump, but when we saw that the boat was about to break, the guy told us to stop. Neguin was confident he could jump one more time, without damaging the boat, or falling into the dirty water, and the risk was worth it.
I was so tired at the time that even though I captured this incredible shot, I didn't realise the beauty of it until we got back at our hotel.
2. Abel, Wingzero and Issei in Times Square, NYC
Abel, Wingzero and Issei in New York
© Little Shao
These B-Boys are all very good friends of mine from France and Japan. They'd never met before, but we were randomly all in New York at the same time and decided to go for a drink. We hooked up in Times Square and I had the idea that we should make a cool picture there, before heading back to the rooftop of my hotel. I started to think about how I could synchronise and structure a photo in the middle of the road.
In the end, it took four or five tries to get that one shot timed with the traffic lights and the distance just right. It was technically a difficult one, but I think that made us all even happier when we finally got it. I'm proud of this photo and have such good memories of it, most of all because of the connection I made between Abel, Wingzeo and Issei. I really love connecting good people.
3. Daniela Neugebauer in Paris
Daniela Neugebauer in the sky
© Little Shao
Daniela asked me to shoot a personal photo session for her and this was the last shot I took. Paris is a pretty busy place and I wanted to create a very minimalist photo. I'd found these huge stairs that I thought could help me create the type of shot I was after. It wasn't a challenging shot, but its an example of catching a vibe, nice sky, the body shape and how strong bringing that all together can be.
4. Cloud and Neguin in South Korea
Cloud and Neguin in the streets of Bucheon
© Little Shao/Red Bull Content Pool
I remember this battle between Cloud and Neguin at the Red Bull BC One World Final in NYC in 2009 and loved it. After that, these guys didn't see each other for almost a decade. Finally, they were both invited to the same event in Bucheon South Korea in 2017.
I asked both of them if they were OK to create something together. I started to think about using both of their skills, matching their body lines and we ended up with this picture. The memories from this shoot are the main reason it means a lot to me and is one of my favourite photos I've ever taken.
5. B-Boy Menno at the Red Bull BC One World Final
Menno claimed the coveted belt once again in 2017
© Little Shao
Menno took the title of the world champ at the Red Bull BC One World Final in 2017 for the second time.
I was supposed to take the winner's shot on stage, but when I looked around, I saw that so many photographers would get the same photo. My challenge, as always, is to get something unique, so I decided to take a step back and take a picture of all the photographers with Menno in the middle. When all the confetti came down, it covered every photographer and created this cool pattern.
It's a classic shot, but I could have easily missed it if I wasn't in the exact right spot (no one blocking me) at the exact right moment. I think this one is my favourite winner pictures ever.
