There may be no better way of breaking down cultural and linguistic barriers than by putting a musical instrument in someone’s hands. Photographer Shaun Fenn surely found this to be true in his recent portrait series of mariachi musicians and dancers, which he shot over the course of a week traveling through Todos Santos, La Paz, and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. This was a personal project for Fenn, and one that ended up being an emotional antidote to a year of COVID-related strain. “You can’t sit and listen to mariachi and not be happy,” Fenn shares.

Mariachi is a centuries-old genre of folk music played in various regions of western Mexico. Typically performed by large groups of musicians, it’s not uncommon to see a dozen or more performers gathered on stage with violins, trumpets, guitars, vihuelas, and guitarróns, and, of course, the instrumentation of their own voices and bodies. The tune is upbeat. The feeling is joyful.

Although mariachi is often thought of by its communal character, Fenn was looking to shoot individual portraits that would highlight the unique personality of each performer. He cast over a dozen local musicians using mariachi advertisement posters that were hung up around the various towns he visited. An eclectic mix of musical expertise, regional background, and age was quickly assembled; the youngest participant—and crowd favorite—being the child-aged son of a second-generation performer who, lonesome for his mother, learned the tricks of her trade so he could join her at gigs.

Fenn styled the shoot using wardrobe pieces authentic to the tradition. Visual cohesion was established by way of a consistent background in each shot: a muted, straw-colored panel that provides warmth and texture and allows each individual’s persona to truly sing.

“It’s a celebratory tradition,” Fenn remarks, “and I hope this is a body of work that really communicates that essence of the music.  “I hope to have captured this tradition in a beautiful and respectful way.” To see more from the series, head over to Shaun’s site.