For years, Taiwanese photographer Ken Wang and performer/freelancer Chao Wei Chen have worked with Formosa Circus Art and striven to convey the power of a moving art form in still images. In the last edition of the DuMaXi quarterly, the two men weighed in on their goals, techniques, and philosophies to take the perfect circus photo.

Being in the moment plays an important role in the performing arts field. The live atmosphere is difficult to replace with videos and images. Photography can capture the inspirational side of circus and, sometimes, it even becomes a new mode of creation. Through the construction of the image and the capturing of the moment, a photograph shows the magic of circus in a way that is different from the scene itself. In this interview, we invited documentary photographer Ken Wang (hereinafter referred to as Ken) and circus artist Chao Wei Chen (hereinafter referred to as Chao) to speak about the artistry of capturing circus on camera. Ken has been shooting and documenting Formosa Circus Art (hereinafter referred to as FOCA) for a long time; he is familiar with the character and movement of these circus artists, and always captures the subtle, magical moments at the right time. Chao has been a member of FOCA for many years. He is a Cyr wheel artist and a keen photographer himself, ...