Red Shoes

• Prize
  Gold in Advertising/Music
• Photographer
  Marcellus Nealy
• Technical Info
  Canon 5d Mark Ii, 1/100, F3.2, Iso2000, 24mm
• Photo Date
  September 21, 2018

This photo is of Senegalese percussionist Latyr Sy. He has lived in Japan for over a decade, sharing and collaborating with countless musicians throughout the country. I was watching him perform in Tokyo one day when suddenly I was mesmerized by his red Nike tennis shoes, which seemed to glow in the dark. It made me wonder why Nike never made the connection between the athleticism of music and its brand.

I live in work in Tokyo, Japan, where I am an announcer and narrator for Japan's national broadcasting network, NHK, and a local radio station called Shonan Beach FM. I am also a stage performer who has toured for eight years with the Japanese multi-platinum pop band Dreams Come True as a backup vocalist, rapper, and hype man. I am originally from Cleveland, Ohio, where I was taught the basics of photography at age 13.