Point Reyes Light - March 25, 2004
Local Latinos learn language through photography
By Ellen M. Shehadeh
Getting behind a camera has given seven Latinos more visibility in the West Marin community. Their photographs are included in the upcoming Gallery Route One show, Lejos del Hogar (Far from Home), which opens Sunday March 28. The exhibit also features images of West Marin Latinos by Colombian photojournalist Luz Elena Castro, who has been acting as the group’s photography mentor.
The seven developing photographers, who until recently had never used, much less owned, a camera, range in age from a newly wed in her twenties to grandparents in their seventies. Castro has been conducting classes in Spanish in their ranch homes since September, teaching them to use a simple camera, and the basic principals of photography. The pupils received specific assignments, but were also free to photograph anything of importance to them. Susan Sasso, a Marin Literacy Project tutor, was also there to infuse the lessons with English vocabulary.
Lives on exhibit
What the Latino group has produced is a medley of images to share with the community – family celebrations, religious symbols, landscapes and photos of children. A significant outcome of this show, according to Castro is to allow "their lives to be part of an exhibition, and to bring them from the shadows and into the community." The photography project is the inspiration of the Gallery Route One "Latino Advisory Committee," who brainstormed ways to mingle the two communities in gallery events. With Latinos making up 30 percent of the community, the committee believes that people living on the ranches should become more connected with the mainstream West Marin community
At a recent photography class at the Giacomini ranch home of Beatriz Macias (Betty), Castro commended Yolanda Guttierrez on her skills in shooting un-posed photos, use of natural light and her fine composition. Yolanda, whose two children and a newborn were also in attendance, would eventually like to use her newly acquired skills and confidence to become a professional photographer.
Kika, diminutive grandmother of seven, is the "boldest" of the group according to Castro, this in spite of never learning to read or write in either English or Spanish. Only four years in West Marin, she totes her camera to family gatherings and religious events in an elegant black purse.
Pride in photographs
With eyes glued to the teacher, it is apparent, even in her shyness, that she takes pride in her photographs and her acquisition of English vocabulary. Castro comments on her "spectacular" landscapes and advises her to make sure her photos are in focus, and to remember the zoom lens when going for details.
Betty Macias, who has only been in West Marin for one year, is "pleased and happy" at discovering her new talent for photography. She has produced a variety of artistic photos, including a stately image of Kika in her cheese factory garb that will be part of the exhibit. The photography class and the small band of photographers have attracted a bit of attention, and already others have expressed interest in being part of the next crop of budding photographers.