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SOMEWHERE STAGE SPOTLIGHT:

Well Duh: Saleem

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    Is she talented? Anyone who looked at her instagram would easily say, “fuck, well duh.”(At least those who appreciate the 4 letter haiku). She’s got dancers, musicians, athletes, studio shots, live shots, and they’re all amazing. Her treatment of lighting is as good as anyone else with a massive following on instagram for photography, and her work is clearly more than just pretty pictures; she's a storyteller. Her recent work for University of South Dakota caused its social media to get nationwide recognition as one of the most engaging universities on TikTok. Of course, you have to be a storyteller if your are also doing things like, say, serving as a marketing chair on the Cultural Wellness Coalition, an organization that advocates for cultural wellness and diversity in education. Also, side note, and perhaps related, she has a great understanding of color. Her images are sharp because she knows how to bring out important aspects of the composition by pivoting colors against each other.

 

    

 

     

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Photo by Kahla Saleem (not original file)

     An appreciation of diversity probably requires an acute awareness of what makes people come alive, and that’s what people go to photography for, and to the arts for; we want to see ourselves. Weird. We have to see ourselves in order to see ourselves. When you look at Saleem’s images, you’ll notice that you feel there. The reason why is because she’s captured the essence of the moment, and you can’t do that unless you are present, unless you understand people.  People live the aforementioned experiences in real time, and these experiences have an arc: a concert, a game, a recital. Participants experience joy, loss, anticipation, detachment, community, other cinematic shit. How can you capture these things without knowing them on the inside? You cannot intercept the arc of a human experience to capture a moment if you’re not in the arc yourself. A lot of artists are aware of this, but don’t have technique. Lots of artists have technique but are not aware of this. She’s got both. 

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Photo by Kahla Saleem (not original file)

Kahla Saleem is new to LA. If you catch her insta stories, chances are you’ll see her doing all the things, the pretty LA shit. But you know she’s also working her ass off, and that with her heart. She’s telling stories with technique because she feels something. It’s only a matter of time before LA catches feels too. 

 

 

You gotta book her!

Bitch did you hear what I said?

Kahla Saleem y’all.

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