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Seascape photography guide: How to photograph beaches and coastlines

By in Photography

Seascape photography guide: How to photograph beaches and coastlines

Coastal and seascape photography can be such a wonderful genre to shoot, but there’s a lot more to it than just pointing your camera at the ocean and pressing a button. When it’s not done right, you’ll end up with reflections on the water and sand in your shoes. Like any other style of photography, there’s much more to consider than you might think, so we’ve put this guide together to help you get the most out of your seascape images.

In this beginners guide to seascape photography we’ll be covering things to looks for in a camera and lenses, as well as accessories, tips on finding locations, and some settings to use to achieve the results you want.

Coastal photograph of long grass on the beach bathed in warm sunlight. (Image credit: Kimberley Lane)

You might find taking a peek at our beginners guide to wildlife photography helpful too (and perhaps our list of the best wildlife photography cameras) if you want to photograph some seaside animals. Or, if you’re interested in nighttime photography, then you can shoot for the stars with our beginners guide to astrophotography and night for day astrophotography guide.

What camera should you use?

There’s a good chance that you might get wet whilst pursuing the perfect seascape, so you’ll want to make sure your camera is weather sealed. (Image credit: Kimberley Lane)

When it comes to choosing a camera for shooting seascapes, one of the most important factors is making sure the camera is weather sealed. Cameras can be subjected to splashes, wind, and sand when shooting seascapes, so it’s really important to make sure your camera is protected against the elements when you’re out shooting.

Sensor size doesn’t necessarily matter too much here — most beginners will likely be using four-thirds or crop sensors which is more than adequate. The size and weight of the camera is generally down to personal preference. Small, compact mirrorless cameras are easier to carry around, which is particularly beneficial if your location isn’t very accessible. On the other hand, heftier cameras, like DSLRs, would be more stable in windier, coastal weather, so there’s a trade-off with either option.

A distant lone surfer standing in gentle waves on the beach. (Image credit: Kimberley Lane)

In terms of the camera’s capabilities, there aren’t many features that are specific to seascapes to think about, which is good. However, we’d always recommend getting a camera that has good autofocus and tracking (you never know when you might want to photograph surfers), and a decent FPS rate for shooting in drive mode. A tilt or fully articulating rear screen can also come in handy if you’re shooting low down to the ground and want to see your composition.

What lens should you use?

Watch out for those waves! (Image credit: Kimberley Lane)

Like cameras, you really want to make sure your lens is weather sealed from the elements, not only to prevent dust spots and splashes on the glass, but to also protect the inner workings of the lens. Seascape photography is one of the photography styles where your equipment is most exposed to multiple elements, so it’s really important to take the steps to protect your gear. 

When it comes to focal length, zoom lenses tend to be favored here due to their versatility. To start off with, something like a 24-70 mm would be ideal. You want to be able to shoot wide enough to fit everything in if you’re shooting an entire scene, but the higher 70 mm end will enable you to isolate certain subjects or details. While telephoto lenses do have their place in seascape photography, they usually play second fiddle to the wider focal lengths.

A wide coastal landscape bathed in a golden glow. (Image credit: Kimberley Lane)

The aperture of a lens doesn’t matter too much for beginners, but we’d always recommend going wider so your camera doesn’t struggle in low light conditions. Plus, if you want to be able to freeze the movement of the water, a faster lens will definitely help with that.

Prime lenses are undoubtedly fantastic quality, however, we wouldn’t recommend them to beginner photographers due to their fixed focal length. That said, prime lenses are a great way to challenge yourself and improve your creativity by only bringing one focal length lens with you on a shoot.

What settings should you use?

To capture those gentle, milky waves lapping at the beach you’ll need to find the right shutter speed. (Image credit: Kimberley Lane)

With seascape photography, you’re generally going to be creating one of two effects in the water: freezing the movement of the crashing waves, or slowing the movement to create flowing, milky water. Both of these effects are achieved by adjusting the shutter speed. 

If you’re looking to freeze the movement of the water to capture dramatic waves, you’ll want a fast shutter speed (as fast as your camera can handle depending on the amount of light). However, if you’re looking to create the look of soft, flowing water, you will need a slower shutter speed. Generally, anything from around 1/50 and under will do the trick, but do experiment with different shutter speeds as each one will create a different effect. There’s no right or wrong answer, it just depends on what you prefer. 

To start off with, try putting the camera into shutter priority while you experiment with shutter speeds, and the camera will choose the correct aperture and ISO for you. For freezing the action of crashing waves, it can help to have the camera on drive mode so you can capture multiple frames at a time.

What to look for

Sea stacks make for great photo opportunities. (Image credit: Kimberley Lane)

Taking seascapes isn’t just photographing the water, though. Think about the scene as a whole, and what the focal point of your image is going to be. There’s an abundance of subjects to shoot at the coast: beaches, cliffs, sea stacks, natural arches, lighthouses, shipwrecks… the list goes on!

Try looking for textures and patterns that add to the scene, and ask yourself: “What’s the story here?” Adding people into your images is a great way to add scale, especially if they are stood on top of a cliff, and you can easily add texture by including patterns in the sand or some long grasses.

Location & weather conditions

You can capture stunning shots even on the grayest of days at the coast. (Image credit: Kimberley Lane)

Another important thing to consider is your location and the weather conditions. Flat light or bright sunny days don’t tend to make the best photos, so it’s great to practice seascape photography when it’s either dark and stormy or in the warm and soft evening light. Windy days are great for capturing crashing waves against rocks and sea stacks for those really dramatic shots.

Think about how your location will look at different times of the day: Where does the sun rise and set? What parts of your scene will be lit by the sun at certain times of day? What are the tide times? By taking the time to plan out your shoot, you can get a variety of different images all from the same spot.

There are some really useful apps to help choose a location, and many of them even tell you where the sun is going to be in your scene. Google Maps (opens in new tab) is great for location scouting, and for sunrise and sunset information and locations, try The Photographer’s Ephemeris (opens in new tab) (sign up for free) or PhotoPills (opens in new tab) (costs $10.99, but full of fun, helpful features).

What accessories are useful?

The bright sunshine causes glare on the water. (Image credit: Kimberley Lane)

A problem you often find with seascape photography, as well as when shooting any kind of moving water, is you’ll get glare and reflections off the water that can be very distracting in your image. Using a polarizing filter can eliminate the reflections and give you a much cleaner image, and it also makes the colors pop more. You can also make use of a neutral density (ND) filter which acts a bit like sunglasses for your camera. If it’s a really bright day or you want to slow down the movement of the water without letting too much light in — the ND filter will reduce the amount of light going in. They’re available in different intensities, and the type you get will depend on how long of an exposure you want to shoot.

If you want to slow down the movement of the water, you’ll also need a tripod. Two handy tips here; firstly, bring a bottle of water to rinse off any sand from the tripod, and this will also get rid of any salt left from the sea water; and secondly, when you’re putting your tripod on the sand, make sure you extend the bottom feet section, so if there is any sand left once you’ve rinsed it off, it will only be in that bottom section (we learned this one the hard way).

Don’t forget about protecting yourself too. If you’re going to be shooting with your tripod in the water, then wellies or waterproof shoes are a must. A waterproof jacket won’t go amiss either.

Finally, in post you can transform your snaps by touching up your photos using photo editing software (such as PhotoShop (opens in new tab)) and one of the best laptops for photo editing. It’s great for helping to fix any wonky shorelines or blown out clouds in the sky.

World’s Largest Horseshoe Crab Sculpture: world record in Hillsboro, Ohio

By in Sculpture

World’s Largest Horseshoe Crab Sculpture: world record in Hillsboro, Ohio
Hillsboro, Ohio, United States–Crabbie The Horseshoe Crab, a giant sculpture of a horseshoe crab, made from fiberglass and foam, (owners Ben and Darlene Sexton, who own a sporstmen’s lodge on the property where the creature now rests), is located off Highway 124 in Hillsboro, Ohio; measuring 67 feet long, 28 feet wide and 12 feet high – not counting the tail that extends higher, is free to visit and sets the world record for being the World’s Largest Horseshoe Crab Sculpture, according to the WORLD RECORD ACADEMY: https://bit.ly/441SJFd

She’s More Than the Creator of Peter Rabbit

By in Art World News

She’s More Than the Creator of Peter Rabbit
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An exhibition in Nashville of Beatrix Potter’s works explores her love of the world of science and the challenges facing women of the Victorian era.

This article is part of our Museums special section about how art institutions are reaching out to new artists and attracting new audiences.

Beatrix Potter’s tales about the frolics and misadventures of Peter Rabbit, Squirrel Nutkin, Jemima Puddle-Duck and other animals have charmed children around the globe for well over a century. Now, a new traveling exhibition explores how the English artist and author’s passion and curiosity for the natural world and scientific study inspired her books — and her life.

“She creates these little enchanting, watercolor worlds and fills them with characters in gardens and ponds,” said Trinita Kennedy, a senior curator at the Frist Art Museum in Nashville, where “Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature” is on view through Sept. 17. “She is certainly one of the most important children’s book illustrators. But the exhibition tells a more complex story. It shows her as a multifaceted person who had to blaze her own trail, unusual for a Victorian woman.”

The show was created by the Victoria and Albert Museum in London in collaboration with the National Trust, a nonprofit that oversees historical and natural sites in Britain, and opened in London in the 120th anniversary year of “The Tale of Peter Rabbit,” published in 1902. It closed there in January, and after its run at the Frist it will head to the High Museum of Art in Atlanta and the Morgan Library & Museum in New York.

Victoria and Albert Museum, London, via Frederick Warne & Co Ltd

“We show her scientific interests, especially in natural history,” said Annemarie Bilclough, a curator of illustration at the V&A and the organizing curator of the exhibition, “and her work as a sheep farmer and conservationist; the latter is considered by some to be as significant a legacy as her books.”

The family-friendly show features special labels designed for children and cozy, playful, Potter-themed reading areas surrounded by original artwork from some of her stories. “Lately we’ve been more deliberate about showing exhibitions that provide opportunities for intergenerational experiences that are fulfilling for both young and adult visitors,” Ms. Kennedy said.

The presentation, drawn mostly from the V&A’s collection, showcases about 175 items: personal objects and letters, family artworks and photographs, manuscripts, early sketchbooks, watercolors, diaries, scientific drawings, and commercial merchandise. It is organized into four thematic and roughly chronological sections.

“Town and Country” begins with Potter’s early years in London and her family life. Frequent visits to the zoo and museums and vacations in the countryside inspired the backdrop to many Potter stories. “Visitors can see watercolors from throughout her life,” Ms. Kennedy said. “The earliest one is from when she was 9. She always felt an urge to draw or to paint what she saw.”

Victoria and Albert Museum, London, via Frederick Warne & Co Ltd

“Under the Microscope” explores Potter’s interest in scientific study of the natural world. A “schoolroom menagerie,” reimagined from the Potter family’s London home, reflects how Potter’s interest in scientific observation developed by collecting and studying butterflies, beetles, bird eggs, plants, shells, rocks and fossils. Dozens of pets, including rabbits, mice, frogs, bats and lizards, often inspired her stories and artwork. On display are examples of Potter’s earliest observational drawings, some made with the help of a microscope.

As an adult, she developed an interest in mycology, the study of mushrooms and other fungi. She carried out experiments, communicated with experts about her theories and findings, and wrote a scientific paper, accompanied by her illustrations, that was presented at the Linnean Society of London. But “she encountered some barriers,” Mrs. Bilclough said. “She could not attend the meeting herself as a woman,” and her personal writings suggested that because of her lack of professional training and her gender, “she felt that her work wasn’t being taken seriously.”

Victoria and Albert Museum, London, via Frederick Warne & Co Ltd

“A Natural Storyteller” reveals Potter’s journey to becoming a best-selling author. The exhibition focuses on 10 of her 23 “Little Tales” books, introducing characters and the real-life inspirations behind them, including the original illustrated letter she wrote in 1893 to the 5-year-old son of a former governess. The little boy was sick, and she wanted to lift his spirits. “‘I don’t know what to write to you,’” Ms. Kennedy said, recounting Potter’s words, “‘so I shall tell you a story about four little rabbits.’” The “picture letter” with little drawings would evolve into “The Tale of Peter Rabbit,” Potter’s first book. Also on view are other illustrated letters, including one that became “The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin.”

“Living Nature” details Potter’s later years in the Lake District in northwest England, where she eventually acquired more than 4,000 acres. Continued industrialization in the early 20th century, and rail and housing development plans, threatened the landscape, Ms. Kennedy said. “By buying all this land, she prevented that from happening.” Potter left all her properties, including 14 working farms, to the National Trust, for public good and access, and became an accomplished sheep farmer of a breed native to the region, Ms. Kennedy said. “She really was ahead of her time in thinking about preserving nature.”

Victoria and Albert Museum, London, via Frederick Warne & Co Ltd

Next to the main installation is a 4,000-square-foot interactive learning and art-making space. “Visitors can interpret the exhibition’s ideas and concepts in a variety of ways,” said Samantha Andrews, experiential learning director of the Martin ArtQuest Gallery. About 20 stations offer hands-on activities, like making observational drawings by looking closely at small natural specimens, and exploring animals’ natural movement by creating an animated film strip of how rabbits hop or birds fly.

Another experience uses projection mapping to digitally transform visitors into different animals using large-scale insect antennae, bat wings and claws. “It doesn’t feel like you’re going into a kiddie play area,” Mrs. Andrews said. “Adults engage in our space as often as children do.”

“And with letter writing being a lost art, we’re excited to create a simple activity where visitors can create an illustrated postcard,” Mrs. Andrews said. The idea was inspired by Potter’s “picture letters,” where she first “started seeing the delight that other people would receive from her drawings and creative writing.”

Potter’s books were enormously popular from the very beginning, and her success can be attributed to a number of factors, said Leonard S. Marcus, a children’s book historian and the author of “Pictured Worlds,” a book highlighting the work of children’s illustrators from around the world.

“The early tradition of children’s books was all about the idealized image of childhood,” Mr. Marcus said.

Potter and others around that time “were thinking more about children as they are, not children as they ought to be,” he said. “She was a realist from the get-go. And children’s books flourish when there is a growing middle class, and England at that time was the epicenter for the Industrial Revolution.” Picture books that were aesthetically beautiful could be printed in large numbers at an affordable price.

Potter was also a smart businesswoman, who started out designing greeting cards, initially self-published, encouraged marketing “little books for little hands,” and made spinoff products early on, Mr. Marcus said.

“But her books have endured as classics,” he said, because the stories are so quirky and memorable and are so artfully told.

“And they’re all very relatable for kids,” Mr. Marcus said. “I think people will be surprised by how fine her art is, made with great precision and narrative power. They’re full of character and naturalistic detail. Many set up an emotional confrontation with the reader. She’s often dismissed as a sort of fluffy figure in the past, but she was a true artist.”

‘Ask Me What I’m Painting’: The Changing Role of the Artist in Residence

By in Native

‘Ask Me What I’m Painting’: The Changing Role of the Artist in Residence
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Art institutions are moving away from residency programs that support artists in seclusion, and toward those that engage with their communities.

This article is part of our Museums special section about how art institutions are reaching out to new artists and attracting new audiences.

At the Queens Museum, they’re getting ready for a show. It’s a Monday afternoon in early spring, and canvases of various sizes are lined up along the 14-foot-high wall of Gallery 6, one of six exhibition spaces in the museum, in the New York City Building that was constructed for the 1939 World’s Fair.

A gaggle of curatorial staffers and volunteers gathers around an iPad on a worktable. They’re examining the layout for the 1,144-square-foot space and an adjoining gallery of similar size, discussing how to best display the works of Aliza Nisenbaum — who happens to be standing nearby, smiling as she watches the exhibition coming together.

“It’s my first solo show in New York,” she said. “I’m so excited.”

Although Ms. Nisenbaum is an accomplished artist — her works have been exhibited in the Tate Liverpool and the Minnesota Institute of Art, among others — this is a show that, at other institutions, might never have happened.

Ms. Nisenbaum, a native of Mexico who now lives in New York, is an artist in residence at the Queens Museum. Her show, scheduled to run through Sept. 10, represents the culmination of two years of work during her residency, which in turn grew out of her decade-long involvement with Corona, the neighborhood in Queens.

Titled “Queens, Lindo y Querido,” (Beautiful and Beloved), the show features Ms. Nisenbaum’s exuberant, colorful paintings of Corona residents, many of them from Mexico and Central America, whom she began meeting in 2012 when she started volunteering for a local immigrant aid organization, teaching art history and English classes.

The show is also an example of how the concept of an artist in residence is changing — starting with the fact that at most museums, the honor of a solo show is not typically bestowed upon a resident artist.

Two of Ms Nisenbaum’s paintings: “Andra,” 2022, left and “Giannia ‘Gia,’” 2022. She painted portraits of Corona residents, many of them from Mexico and Central America.Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times

“For museums, which tend to be relatively conservative, that might have seemed risky in the past,” said Mary Ceruti, executive director of the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis.

That’s been changing, however, as museums and other art institutions try to forge closer relationships with the communities that surround them.

“I think we are all creating more welcoming, less intimidating spaces,” said Susan Hapgood, executive director of the International Studio & Curatorial Program, a Brooklyn-based international artist residency program. “We’re trying to make the viewing experience more transparent and accessible. Residency programs can do that well by putting the artist in closer contact with the audience the institution serves.”

Traditionally, a residency would provide a sort of artistic sanctuary for creative individuals. The idea, some historians say, dates to the Renaissance. Starting in the 1400s, Cosimo de’ Medici, the patriarch of the powerful merchant family known for its patronage of the arts, invited artists and philosophers to his villa to spend time thinking, creating and conducting research without outside pressures.

A similar motivation was behind the artist colonies in the United States and Britain in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. Many of these residency programs were in rural areas, spurred by an idea that artists needed an escape from the industrialized world.

In recent years, the residency concept has changed yet again. Many of the museums, universities and other institutions that offer programs aren’t extending artists an invitation to escape from society, but rather to engage with it.

“In my mind, the most important concept for an artist-in-residence program is the interaction of the visiting artist with the community,” said Nancy Campbell, professor emeritus at Mount Holyoke College and the founder of the college’s Printmaking Workshop, a residency program. “The personal contact, the interaction of the visiting artist with the community, whether it’s a museum or a university, is the key.”

She acknowledges that not all artists will do their best work in that setting. “Some thrive with the greater interaction,” she says. “Others prefer the isolated, personal, quiet studio.”

The Queens Museum is in the former New York City Building constructed for the 1939 World’s Fair.Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times

While some might opt to pursue their muse in bucolic seclusion, most artists recognize the significance of interaction for their careers.

Amanda Lee, an assistant professor in the Department of Art and Design at Utah State University, said residency programs are important because they “offer the artist new audiences and opportunities to conduct research or make physical work, all of which lead to a healthy art practice.”

Like anyone else, artists have to make a living. In that respect, said Professor Lee — also a multimedia artist, whose work has been exhibited in prominent West Coast galleries — residency programs can offer “a lifeline” at every stage of an artist’s career. Emerging or young artists might get mentorship with senior curatorial staff; those with parenting responsibilities might get support with child care.

Duration, stipends and accommodations for residency programs vary widely. Professor Lee said she has done residencies that last a week. Ms. Nisenbaum has been a resident at the Queens Museum for two years. She was also provided studio space and a stipend.

At the Art Gallery of Ontario, in Toronto, each artist gets a $10,000 stipend (roughly $7,500 in U.S. currency), plus $3,000 to cover expenses, for a residency lasting from six to 10 weeks. Those terms are not carved in stone, however.

At left, one of Ms. Nisenbaum’s best-known works, “The Ones who Make it Run,” a painting of 16 airport workers that will be adapted into a mosaic mural at Delta Terminal C in La Guardia Airport. At right, “Pedacito de Sol (Vero y Marissa).”Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times

“We’re super flexible,” said Stephan Jost, the gallery’s director and chief executive. “A residency is fundamentally about a relationship between the institution and the artist and the community. We don’t want the artist worrying about their bills. Rather, we want them to be engaged in the creative process and in helping to serve that audience.”

Mr. Jost, who is also the second vice president and secretary of the American Alliance of Art Museums, said he believes that institutions need to manage their expectations with residents. “You have to be open,” he said. “Sometimes the residency results in a major acquisition, publication or exhibition. Sometimes it results in an idea that might take 10 years to reach fruition.”

Not only are the outcomes of an artist’s time in residency changing, so are the residents themselves.

Case-in-point: Eric Elshtain, who can often be found in the main hall of the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, sitting behind his 1943 Smith-Corona typewriter next to a sign that reads “Ask Me What I’m Writing.”

Mr. Elshtain is the Field’s poet in residence, a position he proposed to the museum in 2017.

“I just came in with a pretty loosely structured idea,” he said. “Basically, I said, ‘I’ll be out in public interacting with visitors, I’ll work on my own poetry, I’ll facilitate poetry competitions and organize workshops.’ The Field said, ‘Do what you’d like to do, and we’ll support you.’”

Mr. Elshtain does not receive a stipend, but he does get office space and unlimited access to the museum’s collection, and he has received funding from the Poetry Foundation.

His residency has produced tangible results: In addition to organizing a quarterly workshop, nine of the approximately 150 poems he has written during his open-ended residency are now displayed in the museum, next to the objects and exhibits that inspired them.

Examples of the art produced by students in art classes Ms. Nisenbaum taught as part of her residency.Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times

Recently, the Metropolitan Museum of Art announced a new African art residency for its Michael C. Rockefeller Wing. Eileen Musundi, the head of exhibitions at the National Museums of Kenya, was appointed to the four-month residency. The goal is not for Ms. Musundi to create art; she is to curate it. A statement from the museum said that she will develop a proposal “for a traveling loan exhibition of works from the Met collection to Nairobi as well as developing and leading a public education program.”

Similarly, the residency program at the Fabric Workshop and Museum in Philadelphia has in recent years expanded beyond textile artists to include sculptors, painters, musicians, filmmakers — even a cabaret performer. The workshop’s eight residents work closely with senior staff on their ideas.

“It’s a nimble structure so that we can do what’s needed for the project and the process,” said DJ Hellerman, the museum’s chief curator. “We don’t necessarily need to think of an exhibition as the final outcome.”

At the Queens Museum, Ms. Nisenbaum’s solo exhibition is indeed a final outcome of her time with the institution and in Corona. Perhaps her best-known work is “The Ones Who Make It Run,” a painting of 16 airport workers that she completed in 2022. It will be adapted into a mosaic mural at Delta Terminal C in La Guardia Airport this year.

Ms. Nisenbaum also taught art classes for beginners, which evolved into a master class for a number of promising local residents. She wanted to showcase those talents as part of her exhibition, so 28 paintings by her students will be featured in the museum’s galleries alongside hers. “I’ve always wanted to do something like that,” she said.

Asked about her time as a resident artist at the museum, she smiled and looked out at the gallery, her paintings poised to be installed: “I love it! All kinds of new ideas have emerged from it.”

39 Funny Accidental Images That Were Taken At The Right Time And Place By This Street Photographer (New Pics)

By in Photography

39 Funny Accidental Images That Were Taken At The Right Time And Place By This Street Photographer (New Pics)
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Accidental photos are the funniest type of images found on the internet. And the beautiful thing about this, so to speak, genre of photography is that you can be either a professional or an amateur and still get attention-worthy images.

Though some images are truly taken by accident, others take a bit of planning and waiting around. This street photographer, Edas Wong, has been taking coincidental images for a while now. In a previous post, he shared: “When I go out on the streets, I just watch every detail in front of me. If the coincidences are with objects, it’s easy. However, if they aren’t, I’ll also need luck. Sometimes I wait a while to register the right moment.” He added: “The longest waiting time was several months. I repeatedly went back to that targeted location and waited, re-observing and re-imagining.”

No matter how much time it takes to capture one image, the end result is always worthwhile. That is why this isn’t our first time sharing Edas’s work, so if you’d like to check out his previous posts on Bored Panda, you can find them here, here, here, and here.

More info: Instagram | Facebook | flickr.com

Art examines the politics and identity of being ‘the other’

By in Native

Art examines the politics and identity of being ‘the other’

“Scanning the Room,” an exhibition featuring 20 Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) artists, will run May 5-28, at Vashon Center for the Arts.

The show speaks to the identities, sentiments, and politics of the artists involved — and their perceived place as ‘the other’ in predominantly white space.

Artists included in the exhibit include Anida Yoeu Ali, Cheryll Leo-Gwin, Eliaichi Kimaro, Erin Shigaki, Hanako O’Leary, Jonathan Wakuda Fischer, June Sekiguchi, Lauren Iida, MalPina Chan, Marialina Wallace, Michelle Kumata, Miya Sukune, Nari Baker, Paula Onodera Wong, Saya Moriyasu, Soo Hong, Teruko Nimura, Thuy-Van Vu, Trenton Quiocho, and Yoshi Nakagawa.

The concept for the show was conceived by June Sekiguchi, who also served as co-curator. After being invited to co-curate a show at VCA for AANHPI month, Sekiguchi wanted to give substance and direction to the show, versus just putting AANHPI artists together without any other connection besides their heritage.

“My upbringing as one of the few Japanese or Asian families in Northwest Arkansas, during the civil rights movement, imprinted the fact that we were the ‘other,’ which has had a lasting effect on me to this day,” Sekiguchi said. “In speaking to other AANHPI artists, they immediately got my meaning about ‘Scanning the Room’ and I could see this was a strong curatorial direction to follow.”

To scan a room, according to Sekiguchi and others use the term, is an automatic response for many people in the AANHPI community to gauge the racial makeup of a space upon entering. The response could gauge physical safety, or simply represent observational awareness that is physically, emotionally, and psychically increased when navigating spaces that have a majority Caucasian racial makeup.

For Sekiguchi, the message is personal.

“I have always scanned the room everywhere I go, stemming from being a minority,” she said. “Within increased anti-Asian hate, I felt it was important to bring light to how we feel.”

The artists invited to show in the exhibition come from a variety of backgrounds and cultures, and their work reflects the diversity of the AANHPI experience.

AANHPI is an umbrella term for people who identify as Asian American, Pacific Islander, or multiracial, and descend from the countries and cultures of East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Pacific Islands, and Native Hawaiians.

This term is often used as a form of resilience in the face of racism and discrimination. By embracing this term and their shared heritage, AANHPI people cultivate a sense of belonging and connection with one another.

Sekiguchi is a full-time artist in sculpture, installation, and public art. She is a curator producing events in Seattle and Tacoma for over 12 years and currently serves on the board of directors for the Asian Pacific Cultural Center in Tacoma.

What experiences or “takeaway” does Sekiguchi hope gallery-goers will have the upcoming exhibit at VCA?

“I hope visitors value the individual narratives of each artist, understand that we don’t want to be whitewashed with colorblindness, but rather, appreciate and celebrate unique cultures within the AANHPI communities,” she said.

“In light of the political environment of increased negativity of people of color, we need to celebrate, support, and advocate for minority voices,” she added.

The show runs May 5 to 28 during AANHPI Month in the United States.

Many artists will be in attendance for the exhibit’s opening reception, from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, May 5. Regular gallery hours are 12 to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Friday. For more information, visit gallery.vashoncenterforthearts.org.

‘Ghosts’ Stories: On a Hit TV Show, CSUN Alum Uses His Voice

By in Native

‘Ghosts’ Stories: On a Hit TV Show, CSUN Alum Uses His Voice

Román Zaragoza. Photo by Chollete

Román Zaragoza got nervous when he read the character description before his audition for the sitcom “Ghosts.”

As an actor of Akimel O’otham and Mexican descent on his father’s side and Japanese and Taiwanese descent on his mother’s side, Zaragoza ’21 (Cinema and Television Arts – Film) doubted his prospects in television or film because of all the stereotypical Native American and Asian roles he found himself auditioning for — and there were so many ways the writing for this Native character could’ve gone wrong, too.

“I was like, ‘Oh no, it’s a show called ‘Ghosts,’ and it’s a character that’s Lenape and he’s from the 1500s,’” he recalled. “‘Oh, no, they’re gonna want me to have an accent and do some stereotypical thing.’ But then right below, it said, ‘Please use your normal accent.’”

That changed everything.

The more Zaragoza learned about the multi-dimensional character, Sasappis, and the show, the more excited he became.

He auditioned for the role and shot the pilot in late 2020, while in his last year at CSUN. The show was picked up in early 2021, and when he graduated, Zaragoza found himself starring on what has become one of the most popular sitcoms on TV, a hit with audiences and critics alike. “Ghosts,” which airs on CBS and can be streamed on Paramount+, was recently picked up for a third season.

For Zaragoza, who loved sitcoms such as “How I Met Your Mother,” “Friends” and “Parks and Recreation,” landing a starring role on a hit network comedy is a dream come true.

“It’s amazing, and then to be playing a character like Sass, it’s been a really beautiful experience,” Zaragoza said. “And seeing how the Native community has really supported him and the story, it’s really cool. I’m very, very grateful and constantly just pinching myself.”

CSUN’s film program in the Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication intentionally makes space for voices that historically haven’t been fairly represented on TV and in films. The program is designed to give students experiences in a lot of industry roles, said Jared Rappaport, chair of CSUN’s Department of Cinema and Television Arts (CTVA).

“We pride ourselves on developing new talents, with new voices going out in the industry,” Rappaport said. “We look at ourselves as the CTVA family. So, when our students succeed in Hollywood — we have a lot of success stories — we’re very proud of what they’ve accomplished.”

Zaragoza is already using his voice to help ensure respectful representation in his projects, and he plans to continue telling stories in a variety of ways as his career unfolds. He has starred on stage and screen and successfully ventured into directing and producing.

“CSUN definitely gave me the tools and the space to tell my own stories,” he said.

A Three-Dimensional Ghost

Roman Zaragoza as Sasappis. Photo: Bertrand Calmeau/CBS

Roman Zaragoza as Sasappis on “Ghosts.” Photo: Bertrand Calmeau/CBS

“Ghosts” stars Rose McIver and Utkarsh Ambudkar as a young couple who inherit a haunted estate that they turn into a bed-and-breakfast. Many of the people who died on the property are stuck there as a sort of purgatory — among others, Sasappis haunts the property alongside the ghosts of a Viking, a Prohibition-era singer, a hippie who tried to hug a bear, and a “finance bro” who died without pants on (and now spends eternity without them).

Sasappis — shortened to “Sass,” and that’s Zaragoza’s preferred spelling of the nickname — has a dry wit and a love for pizza. He’s a talented storyteller, a hopeless romantic and a bit of a troublemaker. After being stuck on the property for hundreds of years, he creates drama out of boredom, such as when he discovered one character’s secret crush on another and told everyone almost instantly.

While there’s much more progress to be made, Sass arrived at a moment when Native representation has increased in front of and behind the camera — Zaragoza cited the TV shows “Reservation Dogs” and “Rutherford Falls,” as well as the “Predator” movie prequel “Prey.”

The “Ghosts” showrunners invited Zaragoza’s input on the best ways to craft respectful representation on their show. At his suggestion, they hired a Lenape consultant, Joe Baker. A writer on staff, John Timothy, is Muskogee Creek.

In a season two episode, Sass wants to save an old tree on the property that has personal significance to him. The episode ends with a land acknowledgement, including a discussion about why they’re important.

“The show works because it’s not only funny, but it also makes you feel things,” Zaragoza said. “It’s so healing. There are so many messages and storylines where we dive into death and love and family and loss. I just love the messages.”

The land acknowledgement episode was particularly meaningful to Zaragoza, who was active in CSUN’s American Indian Student Association, took American Indian Studies classes, and attended the campus’ annual Powwow to celebrate American Indian communities of Los Angeles and greater Southern California. In 2020, following conversations between the Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians and CSUN faculty and administrators, CSUN began publicly acknowledging the Sesevitam, the first people of this ancestral and unceded territory of Sesevenga, which is now occupied by the university, and the Sesevitam descendants who are citizens of the Tataviam Band. Students advocated for additional recognition efforts on campus.

After graduation, Zaragoza also hosted a video podcast for the American Indian Student Association, interviewing Indigenous artists such as writer Stephen Graham Jones, “Spirit Rangers” creator and showrunner Karissa Valencia, and his sister, recording artist Raye Zaragoza. (Román’s directing credits include some of her music videos.)

“I’m always excited to see the relationship between universities and Indigenous nations,” he said.

‘Your Voice Matters’

Román Zaragoza in a CSUN Department of Theatre production

Román Zaragoza as Usnavi in a CSUN Department of Theatre production of “In the Heights.” Photo by Anneka Bunnag.

Zaragoza grew up in New York City, the son of actor Gregory Zaragoza and business professor Shirley Zaragoza. He moved to Los Angeles with his family at age 11 when his older sister, Danielle, got into UCLA. He thought he would follow in her footsteps, but he didn’t get into UCLA. CSUN accepted him, and it turned out to be a terrific fit — the CTVA program is highly regarded as one of the best in the country.

He arrived at CSUN in 2014 and took a screenwriting class his freshman year, and he set his mind to learning to direct as well. In spring 2017, he played the lead role of Usnavi in the Department of Theatre’s production of “In the Heights” at The Soraya.

“My freshman year I just really learned, ‘Your voice matters,’” he said. “I’m very grateful for the experiences I had there. It was definitely one of those parts of my life where I felt very lost, and then CSUN really helped me find what I wanted and where I wanted to go.”

Zaragoza also had honed his acting chops in high school. At 15, he joined Native Voices at the Autry, an equity theatre company at the Autry Museum of the American West that develops and produces works by Native artists. Zaragoza’s role in the Native Voices show “Off the Rails” led him to eventually taking a three-year break from CSUN, as the show was selected for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

Return to CSUN

He returned to CSUN in August 2020, joining an unfamiliar cohort of classmates on Zoom.

He was one of three producers on the senior film project “This Is Their Land,” written and directed by classmate Michael O’Leary ’21 (Cinema and Television Arts – Film). The film is about the Modoc leader known as Captain Jack, and his tense peace negotiations with the U.S. Army in his ancestral homeland in Northern California and Southern Oregon, during the Modoc War of 1872-73.

Zaragoza filled a wide range of roles on the project, including helping to ensure a respectful telling of the story. He helped with casting, making connections with the descendants of the Modoc people depicted in the film, and finding a translator who could translate much of the script into the traditional Mukluk language.

Zaragoza also has a small role in the film. His father, who has starred on Broadway and appeared in many movies and TV shows — including “Yellowstone” and an episode of “Ghosts” in which he plays Sass’s father — also appears in the short film.

“This Is Their Land” has been screened at festivals and also will get its pandemic-delayed CSUN celebration, at the CTVA 31st Senior Film Showcase (2021 Redux) on May 3.

Zaragoza said he hopes to one day start a production company with friends he made at CSUN.

“There’s just really talented people that came out of that program,” Zaragoza said. “I’m very grateful for the program and all the friends I made from it.”

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▶️ Longtime Smith Rock eagle nest photographer gives close-up of new eaglets

By in Photography

▶️ Longtime Smith Rock eagle nest photographer gives close-up of new eaglets

>>> Have you checked out Central Oregon Daily News on YouTube? Click here to subscribe and share our videos.

It’s that time of year at Smith Rock State Park when the resident bald eagles have mouths to feed in the nest. Three chicks have hatched this year — a rarity for eagles.

George Lepp, a Bend wildlife photographer, has been recording nature for more than half a century and taking pictures of this nest for the last decade.

“The first time I came here I didn’t even have a camera with me a friend brought me here to show it to me,” George said of the nest. “And then the next year I came and started to photograph it.”

And he has barely stopped since.

“I spent several hundred hours out here,” said George.

He figures 300-500 hours, which he has edited down to a 10 minute film running in the park visitors center.

“Back in 2017, there weren’t very many people here. You would see deer walking around down below there,” George said. “Marmots would come up next to you all kinds of different birds would show up. When you’re here that many days and you watch a merganser family on the river, that kind of stuff, it was wonderful to spend a long period of time and see day after day how things change here that was the best thing of all about this.”

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Photography has changed in the decade that he’s been shooting here. The digital world has opened up everything — and making it easier for him to share his work.

“Especially when I’m using the iPad, I’m showing people and explaining what’s going on. Because they can’t really see what going on unless they’ve got good binoculars or a spotting scope,” said George.

For just the second time in a decade, the nest has welcomed three little ones.

But with nature being nature, the smallest one is not likely to survive. Video from George shows that a bigger chick blocks the smaller one from his parents’ beak-to-beak feeding.

George is still hopeful.

“Every once in a while they’ll feed the youngster. But they seem too be pretty good about making sure the little guy is getting food,” said George.

The birds seem to accept the nearby audience. After all, they come back and birth babies here every year. But park manager Matt Davey doesn’t want the humans to disrupt the domestic scene.

“Like the canyon trail that passes below the nest right now, we reduce group size to four or less and request that noise be kept to a minimum. And we close off the campsites along the rim here,” said Davey.

If you visit the park, Davey asks that you try to limit your movement and visibility on the rim. Keep your voice down, too. But most importantly?

“No dogs. Absolutely no dogs. Absolutely no dogs out on the rim. That can really stress these birds out,” said Davey.

For George, every visit, every still shot and every piece of soaring video is a pleasure — and is personal.

“You get to feel like they’re kind of your birds kind of thing,” said George.

If you’re interested in seeing the eagles, just ask a park ranger or park host where they are. They can tell you where to go and give you advice on how to view the birds without bothering them.

And if you want to see more of George’s work, check georgeleppimages.com.

He has been at it for 50 years, has trained generations of photographers, traveled all over the world and even been named a “legend” by Canon cameras.

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