505 X CHRISTAAN FELBER

Christaan Felber is no stranger to Mexican wrestling. This and his raw, emotive aesthetic put him on 505 Southwestern's radar. The brand envisioned luchadores (wrestlers) promoting their salsa. Christaan delivered. Below, Christaan shares a bit about the shoot. And, click here if you'll be in Denver, Colorado, on September 6th.
Our amazing clients at 505 will be sponsoring an evening of salsa and lucha libre!

I was formally introduced to lucha libre during a personal photo project I was working on in Mexico City at the Arena Mexico. Twice a week, fans gather at the arena, known as the "Cathedral of Lucha Libre" to cheer on their favorite Mexican wrestlers. Lucha libre, which literally translates to ‘free fighting,’ has been a part of popular Mexican culture for over a century. With their colorful costumes and high-flying acrobatics, luchadores are able to combine the narrative of theater with the athletic virtuosity of sport to create a spectacle that is undeniably breathtaking. Luckily, this experience helped me to understand and authentically capture the images during my recent photoshoot with the 505 Salsa brand, which featured genuine Mexican luchadores as the brand's ambassadors. The shoot took place in a Denver-based MMA gym, where I worked closely with the fighters to document each of their characters through a series of portraits, behind-the-scenes imagery and action sequences displaying each of their fighting styles. - Christaan