Newspaper of the Students
The Evergreen State College
Student Artist Showcase: Gabriela Valencia
On Friday December 9th 2011, Evergreen State College’s Gabriela Valencia held her first photography gallery opening at Studio 418 surrounded by friends and family. The homey photography studio on 4th Avenue, decorated with comfortably warn chairs and soft lighting, is owned by Olympia native Courtney Kelley. During Fall quarter, TESC sophomore Gabriela interned under the professional photographer, carrying out a multitude of photographic assignments as well as working at the studio as an assistant.
The bulk of the photography, all digitally shot and enhanced on the computer using Adobe Photoshop, contained images close to Gabriela’s life. Some photos were of popular landmarks, such as Seattle’s Pike Place Market and Space Needle, and the state capital building glowing in the night sky. Others were of things many people would walk by without a second thought.
“Photographers can capture what others might not see,” supposed Gabriela, as we looked at her twenty-six shot series titled “Alphabet”. One of her assignments was to find every letter of the alphabet, but without using actual text. An overhead shot of a pipe in the ground created the letter “Q”, a tile pattern made a string of “L’s”. She said “K” and “S” were the hardest to find.
Throughout her life, Gabriela has loved art, her family of artists and actors surrounding her with constant creativity. However, only about two years ago she began to take photography seriously. Just like many people, Gabriela finds an outlet with art, saying it is the best way to communicate emotions. Photography is her medium of choice.
The inspiration for her work, not including the assignments set by her supervisor, comes from her passion of capturing narrative and emotion. As stated before, a majority of photographs include the metropolitan Seattle. Given it is her home city, Gabriela connects more emotionally to the glowing lights and comforting sights of the sun setting through the clouds behind the Space Needle.
“It’s important to find your voice in whatever you do,” Gabriela advised, “Practice to find your style, your uniqueness.”
Gabriela plans on continuing with her work in photography, hoping to explore the more technical aspects. Photo shoots in particular are of interest, as she wants to do more portraiture in a controlled environment. Her hope for the future, after graduation, is to travel from country to country, documenting her expeditions as a photojournalist.