Facing Seaside started as a 2021 project by The Weston Collective, a Seaside-based nonprofit interested in fostering all formats of photography in the community. March 2022 brought Facing Seaside Part I: The Value of the Camera, an exhibit that focused on favorite businesses on Broadway Avenue, such as Sweet Dreams Delight Bakery and Cuz’s Sportsman Club.
This original set of photos was taken by photographers including Executive Director Zach Weston himself – a fourth-generation member of the famous Weston family – and Nadia Rivera, who is the collective’s education intern. Now, the project is bringing in more youthful voices and points of view.
In Facing Seaside II, which goes on display this week, many of the photos are taken by local students.
“Our goal is to show the kids that you can make money doing photography and that it can be a career path,” Weston says.
He and Rivera have been working with the local youth, teaching an after-school digital and darkroom photography program to fifth – and sixth-grade students at Martin Luther King Jr. School of the Arts in Seaside. Students learn how to photograph, edit, print, matte and write narratives about their work.
Facing Seaside II includes black and white portraits, but also color photos of signature products – a pair of shiny high heels from Generation Ave., a popular second-hand boutique, and a slice of yellow cake with pink frosting from Lupita’s Bakery.
“The highlights were the portrait sessions we have with the business owners,” Weston says. “We don’t only want to show those kids that photography can be a profession… we also want to connect them to other role models in our community.”
Seaside is just the beginning, Weston hopes. “At some point, I would like to see it in other cities,” he says. “Facing Salinas. Facing Gonzales. We would also like to eventually work with more schools.”
Asked about a specific student he remembers the most, Weston mentions his work with a student named Rihanna. “She was not interested in digital photography,” Weston says. “But when we moved to film photography… Oh man! It is really cool to see.”
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.