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Hotel Verdant to permanently feature 22 local artists from Racine, Kenosha
Local photographers lend a helping eye with a ‘Pay What You Can’ program
‘Pay What You Can’ program helps Colorado families capture a milestone by snapping senior portraits.
AURORA, Colo. — A group of local photographers called “Pay What You Can: Senior Photos Class of 2024” is making school portraits more affordable for high school seniors and their families. It’s a concept that was created after the group’s organizer, and professional photographer, Kristi Harvey heard parents asking around for affordable photos sessions.
“The ‘Pay What You Can’ program is something that I started a few years ago when I saw the price for senior photos at some of the studios locally,” Harvey said. “I did see a package from a studio where your base price is $500, and I think five photos were another $500 so you can easily get up into the thousands of dollars for the studios.”
Harvey is one of five professional photographers in the group snapping pictures this year. She said each photographer sets their own photo event on the group’s Facebook page. Then families who need senior photos can select a photographer and a location around the metro area. Harvey said then whatever’s in the family’s budget for senior photos is what the group will accept.
“I’ve had a family pay me $50 because that’s what was in their budget, and I had a family pay up to $350-$400,” Harvey said. “So, it really just depends on what you’re able to afford at the time financially.”
The group will be scheduling sessions along the front range in areas like Denver, Colorado Springs, Aurora and Longmont. Harvey said this year, she’s seen an increase in requests.
“I have my events set up on the Facebook page for June, July and August, and they’re actually almost full which is different than the years before,” Harvey said. “There are a lot of clients that we have that actually tell us that without this program, they wouldn’t be able to do senior photos for their kids.”
Clients like Lipi Khan who is getting her daughter Shariah’s senior portraits taken at the 17 Mile House Farm Park in Aurora. She said programs like this help.
“Being a single mom, it’s not that easy. You have to think about other expenses than a photograph,” Khan said. “This is the most important part of their life and my life too because I didn’t actually get to graduate from school so she’s doing it so this is like the greatest moment of my life, and I would have to say my entire family too.”
Her daughter Shariah is going to be a senior at Chapparal High School and said she’s going to look back on these photos for a lifetime.
“I was really excited to take them,” Shariah said. “I wanted to take pictures for a while, but I wasn’t sure with who and then my mom found them.”
Harvey said she hopes the Pay What You Can sessions will lift a burden from the parents of high school seniors who are hoping to capture a milestone in their lives.
“I hope these seniors have these photos to look back on the rest of their lives and have something that they’re really proud of and brings back some good memories for them,” Harvey said. “There are a lot of clients that we have that actually tell us that without this program, they wouldn’t be able to do senior photos for their kids so they would have no picture in the yearbook, no photos to hang on their walls.”
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5 Reasons Why Sunset Photography Steals the Show
The enchanting allure of golden hues, vibrant skies, and serene landscapes make both sunrise and sunset photography captivating endeavours. While sunrise photography has its undeniable charm, there are distinct qualities that make sunset photography equally mesmerising, if not more.
In this article, we delve into five reasons why sunset photography shines brighter than its early morning counterpart. Now besides the obvious reason that you don’t have to wake at a ridiculous hour, take the journey in darkness and all the while not sure of the impending conditions there are a few more which set sunset up as one of the favorites of many photographers.
1. Dramatic and Dynamic Skies
Sunset photography offers a canvas of awe-inspiring and ever-changing skies. As the day comes to a close, the atmosphere becomes infused with vibrant colours, ranging from warm oranges and pinks to fiery reds and purples. The interplay of clouds, hues, and textures creates a visually striking backdrop that adds drama and depth to your images. The dynamic nature of the evening sky presents opportunities for creating captivating compositions and narratives. At the end of the day you have the opportunity to survey the sky well before the golden hour approaches to help you determine your location, compositions, and assess the potential for the fiery sunset to come.
2. Rich and Intense Colors
Sunsets are renowned for their intense and saturated colors that can set the sky ablaze. The warm tones and fiery palette can create a sense of warmth, romance, and emotion in your photographs. The golden hour during sunset bathes the landscape in a soft, warm glow, casting captivating shadows and emphasizing textures. The richness of colors at sunset allows for bold and vibrant imagery that evokes a powerful visual impact. Watching these grow in intensity during the last hour of the day helps you determine where you should be and if you need to readjust your position to maximize the composition you have chosen for that shoot. This can be done with ambient light all around you, unlike sunrise which invariably is in the dark.
3. Ideal Timing for Outdoor Shoots
The timing of sunset photography provides numerous advantages for outdoor shoots. The late afternoon and early evening hours offer more flexibility in planning and preparation, allowing photographers to scout locations, set up equipment, and make necessary adjustments before the golden hour commences. Additionally, the comfortable temperature during the evening enhances the overall experience and enables photographers to focus on capturing stunning images without worrying about extreme weather conditions. The challenge this presents is the higher possibility for others to be at the same location due to the hospitable timing, this can be other photographers of course, or even other tourists or visitors to the area who all have the potential to enhance or distract from your photographic goal.
4. Dreamy Silhouettes and Backlighting
The low angle of the sun during sunset creates captivating silhouettes and mesmerizing backlighting opportunities. Subjects positioned against the vibrant sky can be transformed into striking silhouettes, adding a sense of mystery and intrigue to your photographs. The warm and diffused light also adds a touch of magic, illuminating objects and creating a soft halo effect. These ethereal qualities of sunset lighting allow for creative and poetic compositions. The important part here is to experiment and play around with different subjects and shutter speeds, and while you do have time on your side to do this, it is always worth bearing in mind that the light is fading with every second that passes, reducing your opportunity to fine-tune a composition each time.
5. Peaceful and Reflective Atmosphere
Sunset photography offers a tranquil and reflective atmosphere, perfect for introspection and capturing moments of serenity. As the day winds down, nature and the surrounding environment often adopt a calm and peaceful ambience. This tranquil setting creates a serene backdrop for your photographs, evoking a sense of harmony and allowing viewers to connect with the tranquil beauty of the scene. As the sun sets you will often find yourself alone or at worst in a small group of other photographers who like you are there to enjoy not only the photography but the feeling and sense of connection with nature that sunset can provide.
While sunrise photography holds its unique charm, sunset photography undeniably steals the show with its dramatic skies, rich colors, ideal timing for outdoor shoots, dreamy silhouettes, and peaceful atmosphere. The intense colors, vibrant palette, and mesmerizing lighting of the sunset create an enchanting backdrop for capturing memorable and emotionally evocative images. Embrace the twilight hours, harness the magic of sunsets, and allow their qualities to inspire your photography, showcasing the beauty of the world as the day bids farewell.
Remember the best colors can happen long after the sun has gone below the horizon, so don’t feel like you need to rush away moments after the sun has set, stick around and watch the sky’s color pallet change before it fades away for the absolute end of the day. You now also have the advantage at your feet of the potential for some astrophotography, so always worth keeping that idea in your bag should you have the time to wait around until darkness has fallen.
What are your thoughts on this topic? Let’s continue the conversation in the comments below.
The healing love between Indigenous women
CC standing, and Castro seated, each wearing traditional dress of their culture. Photo courtesy of the interviewees.
This article was written by Tatiana Suarez Patiño for Muy Waso, and is republished on Global Voices under a media partnership agreement.
Love is in the details, and no one can convince me otherwise. That is why I am fascinated by art, because it is full of details that reflect the artist’s total and boundless dedication.
If we talk about plastic arts, those details can be in the minimal point of light inside the pupil of an eye that transforms it into an observing subject, or in the delicate way in which yellow paint can become the mid-afternoon sun.
I have spent years of my life looking for these signs that reveal love, and without being arrogant, I can consider myself an expert in finding them. I not only see them, but also feel them.
That’s why the first time I saw Castro and CC together I recognized that love that comes from the details, and because of that magic, I was compelled to ask them for an interview to write the story that I share with you below.
Castro (left) and CC (right). Photo courtesy of the interviewees.
I was in Phoenix, Arizona, in the U.S. when I met them. They live there and that’s where they carry out their resistance. I met them at Cahokia, a venture led by Native American women, which works to generate sustainable economies through the development of artistic projects that promote creativity, the recovery of ancestral memory and the strengthening of Indigenous entrepreneurship.
Castro is Stephanie Guillermina’s last name and nickname; she is 32 years old, born in Queens, New York. Her parents are from Colombia and Chile and she is of Muisca and Mapuche descent. She identifies as Queer, and is a multidisciplinary artist, event planner, and doula.
Stephanie Guillermina Castro posing with her work. Photo courtesy of the interviewees.
Carrie Sage Curley, better known as CC, born on the sacred lands of San Carlos Apache in Arizona 34 years ago, is a lesbian, multidisciplinary artist, community organizer, and cultural keeper.
Carrie Sage Curley posing next to her work. Photo courtesy of the interviewees.
In 2020, the two met during devotions at the Apache Stronghold ceremonial center at Oak Flat, a mountain sacred to the Apache. In 2022, after participating in an event, Women of the Desert, in Phoenix, they felt their paths were not two, but one, and they have been walking hand in hand ever since in the same direction.
That direction is everything. They do not have a relationship, they have a healing purpose: to make Indigenous women visible and recover their wisdom through art. Recovering their image taken away by centuries of colonization is not a minor struggle, and that is one of their goals — to build their image away from the visual clichés imposed by the dominant white ideologies, and they do it by painting one mural at a time. Their artwork can be found in the streets of Phoenix, in galleries, in social spaces, and in private collections, portraying strong, free, and autonomous Indigenous women, with their lights and shadows.
In this regard, Castro says:
I hope to capture an authentic representation of my ancestors through the lens of the spirits that guide me and my brush. I hope to provoke a connection to the Andes for those who have been displaced through migration. I hope that my relatives and those who experience my art will feel the power and light that traveled through me. And that they see the beauty and deeper meaning of intergenerational wisdom and love.
CC and Castro during a peaceful protest for the rights of sacred Indigenous lands. Photo courtesy of the interviewees.
For CC, her art is a connection to herself and to her roots through culture. It is interrogating her existence. She says:
I use my art as a weapon for the people. I love to paint my people, especially the women. It is an honor to be Apache. Whoever comes across my work I want them to feel loved by theirself and proud.
There is an ancestral voice that guides them and connects the past and the present to build a future, and those voices are materialized in art pieces, as CC explains:
We are our great-grandmothers, grandmothers, mothers. The clan is passed down from generation to generation. Our connection to the land is through our clan. I paint the strong women of the past and present. My mother is a local seamstress who continues to keep the spirit of dress alive. I photograph her work with my family and the women of the community, and that is why I am like this, I find my strength in my culture and the land.
CC painting a mural on the streets of Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. Photo courtesy of the interviewees.
The story that both are building is deeply inspiring, for it is the story of liberation. The liberation of our bodies and our image, as Castro says:
I feel that colonization has robbed us of our sensuality and connection to our divine sexual power and energy. I work diligently to regain this sensual awareness and connection to my body and my sexual power. The freer we are as individuals, the freer we are as a people. Returning to our ways in which we followed spirit and nature. Because our sexuality is divine nature — as plants and trees pollinate, so do we.
The sexual revolution is a pending issue in Latin America, and in Indigenous communities even more so; however, this story of transformation and light shows us that another reality is possible, where traditions, spirituality, and creativity are not at odds with sexual diversity, but rather complement each other and become one.
In this regard, CC shares the following reflection for all those people who have an internal debate between their sexuality and their traditions:
You should know that there is nothing wrong with you. Our creator gave you the spirit you carry. I know it can be scary to think what others say when they think of you but show them kindness and love because that is who you are. You need prayers, the earth, and people to be supported healthily.
CC and Castro fused in a loving embrace. Photo courtesy of the interviewees.
I thank them for the moments I was able to enjoy their company and I thank them for allowing me to tell their story. I feel it is a duty to share the life of these powerful souls, so that the force that brought them together can be amplified, and their experience can inspire others to live a freer life, far from the shackles of puritanical glances that condemn the healing love between Indigenous women.
As I finish writing this text, and my memory returns to the first day I met them. Castro looked at CC and smiled at her, and a whole universe opened up in the room. Planets, languages, silences, and ecosystems lived there that no one else could understand but them. And so I reassert my stance: love is in the smallest details.
Opinion: Film inspires me to take a slower approach to photography and shoot more meaningful photos
Guillén Apezteguía is a photographer who loves to shoot film. He lives in San Diego and his work can be seen at cgaphotography.com and on Instagram, @cgaphotographs.
My personal journey with film photography began in college in the early 1990s. My dad gave me his Olympus OM-1 35mm film camera, and I enrolled in photography classes at Southwestern College in Chula Vista. One of our first assignments was to photograph something familiar, something relatable to our everyday lives. I loaded the camera with some Kodak Tri-X film and crossed the border into Tijuana. My dad ran his business down there, so it was familiar territory for me. I began to document everyday street life on both sides of the border. I loved shooting portraits, and I started to work with a magazine based in Tijuana, covering the local music scene. I remember the excitement of developing my film and printing in the darkroom. It was really magical, seeing those images appear on the paper in the chemical bath with the amber glow of the safelight overhead. I was hooked! Over the next several years, I kept shooting, and I transferred to UC San Diego to finish my degree in visual arts.
As technology continued to advance at a rapid pace, the rise and dominance of digital photography was inevitable. Slowly but surely, photographers including myself began to ditch film in favor of digital cameras. The quality of digital imaging improved tremendously over the years, allowing photographers to capture stunning high-resolution images on a chip the size of a postage stamp. Incredible! We no longer had to lug around rolls of film and reload the camera every 12 to 36 shots. We could literally shoot hundreds or even thousands of images and store them with ease on our memory cards, and transfer them electronically to our laptops or to the news desk in a matter of seconds. Who in their right mind would want to go back to shooting film? One would expect film to become obsolete at this point.
(Carlos Guillén Apezteguía)
As it turns out, a lot of artists and photographers these days are embracing analog film photography, and it’s making a comeback. In 2017, I decided to pick up a film camera again, and my romance with analog photography was rekindled in big way. I set up a makeshift darkroom in my bathroom and began to process black and white film. I scanned my negatives and the resulting images had a gorgeous look with subtle nuances in tone, texture and grain. The visual language of film was making its way back into my art and I loved it.
To my surprise and delight, I found a large community of fellow analog photography enthusiasts on Instagram, as well as right here in San Diego, through groups like Beers and Cameras (@beersandcameras), I’m Still Developing (@imstill.developing) and SD Walkabouts (@sdwalkabouts). A lot of young photographers out there are making some amazing work with film, and it’s very exciting.
(Carlos Guillén Apezteguía)
Aside from the aesthetic appeal that is unique to film, I think members of the younger generation who grew up with digital photography are embracing analog photography for multiple reasons. First off, shooting film requires a more mindful approach: It forces the photographer to slow down, and approach each shot with greater consideration. I think that this slower approach cultivates a deeper connection between the photographer and the subject, resulting in more meaningful pictures. The tangibility of analog photography is also very appealing to many people. Rather than digital files stored away on a hard drive, you get to see and hold and contemplate your slides and negatives. During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, I went back into my archive and scanned loads of my old negatives, and in a sense, rediscovered a lot of my early work. I can’t think of a single file from any hard drive I had 30 years ago that still exists. But my 30-year-old negatives are still in almost perfect condition.
I think the biggest reason for the resurgence of analog photography is that shooting film is fun! There’s always an element of anticipation and surprise that you just don’t get with digital. Loading your camera with a roll of fresh film and going out into the world to make pictures is exciting and rewarding.
The younger generation understands this and is embracing it. A lot of us who started shooting film before the advent of digital photography can also appreciate the enduring appeal of film. I would advise anyone who has an interest in photography and has not yet shot film to give it a try. Grab an old camera and have fun with it. If you’re not sure that you have it in you to develop your own film, take it to a local lab such as Safelight Labs, and it will develop and scan your film for you. So don’t wait, get out there and shoot some film! And most of all, have fun.
