A Different pair of Shades: Vision Turns Seven

Vision, a photographic fund-raising event for the Latino Community Advocacy Program (LCAP), celebrates its seventh anniversary Aug. 5 in Saratoga Springs, New York. LCAP sits under the larger umbrella of the Saratoga County Economic Opportunity Council (EOC) and was established in 2005 to address the needs of Saratoga’s Spanish-speaking community. English as a Second Language Classes (ESL) was the cornerstone of the original program, but LCAP expanded to include photography classes later that year. 
    Catherine Eckert, the Latino Community Advocacy Coordinator, explained, “Our program started with the English as a Second Language Classes at the Saratoga Race Course.” 
    The original photography classes grew into Estamos Aqui–We Are Here, a black and white traveling photography exhibit displaying photos from the Latino perspective produced yearly by the photography class students. 
    “Estamos Aqui is the name of the photography project that is around Saratoga County,” Eckert continued. “The Latino community has such a unique life here in Saratoga–and everywhere. It’s very cool to see their lives here through art. Photography just seemed to be an easier way to show that, as opposed to painting or some other medium.” 
    In 2007, in need of funds to provide the multitude of free services offered to its constituents, the LCAP established Vision, a fundraising arm of Estamos Aqui. 
    “LCAP provides services to anyone who walks through our door,” said Eckert. “Estamos Aqui started and then Vision became an event as a fundraiser. The funds that are raised from the Vision event give us the capability to provide these services free for the community.” 
    Being able to attend the Vision gala is a multi-week journey for the students–through learning about photography basics and perfecting their craftsmanship, to telling their personal stories through the lens with the help of talented volunteers.
    “Everything just fell into place after our programming was set,” added Eckert. “Our program purchased the cameras through our funding that we’ve gotten through Vision. Then we have our initial workshop that introduces the students to Vision and Estamos Aqui. Anyone who is interested is given a camera at that point. We have seven photographers this year and have a release form that we have the students sign. These are the expectations, and this is what the event is for.” 
    “The first class is how to use a camera,” added Eckert. “There are examples of photos that have been taken and we talk to them just a little bit saying, ‘Why does this photo work?’ We teach them those things. This year we have photographer Emma Dodge Hanson and her assistant donating their time to really go into the art form of photography–composition, lines, and the different tints,” she added. “Our participants come away with more than just ‘Here’s how you take a photo.’ This is why you take the photo. This is why it’s a good photo. The art of black and white photography is important, too. They have four classes of those.” 
    “The last class, which is on July 17th, we have a committee member who’s also an English professor helping the photographers tell their story,” Eckert commented. “Each photo has a title and caption. Then they have their biography in the program. The professor has stepped it up a notch this year. Let’s hear it from the student’s view, more than just what’s going on here. Tell us why. Tell us your story.” 
    This final workshop for the students is doubly important because it is also when they submit their prospective Vision event photos for judging. 
    “On the 17th of July, we have four people sitting on a jury,” explained Eckert. “Each photographer submits five photos and then the jury deliberates on which photos will be exhibited at the Vision gala, and out of those photos, which ones are the winners. Those are the photos that are exhibited. The students find out and the participants are invited to come for free. They can bring guests to the party to celebrate their great accomplishments. The public is invited to come as well, as a fundraiser for the EOC.” 
    The first six Vision events–held at the clubhouse at Saratoga Race Course until this year–featured a different style of presentation. However, as more interest has been generated from Vision and Estamos Aqui, the program has adapted. 
    “Our event is on Tuesday, Aug. 5 and is from 5:30-8:00 p.m,” Eckert said. “This year, it’s at the Rail Tent, which is right next to the clubhouse at Saratoga Race Course. You can see the track and it’s beautiful. We will have hor d’oeuvres, beer has been donated and wine is getting donated. It is being staffed by Centerplate. Garland Nelson and Soul Session will be playing live music.” 
    “In the past, all the photos have been all in one spot,” Eckert continued. “The Vision event is going to be more of a walk-around experience. We will actually have the photos standing around the whole venue instead of just in one area, so it feels more like a gala. Soul Session will be in one area and you can walk around with your cocktail and your food and network with people.” 
    Ticket sales from the Vision event–$60 this year–are not the only means of fundraising for LCAP. 
    “We also have note cards that we sell which have five photos in a packet that are outstanding that people can purchase,” added Eckert. 
    Once the annual Vision event has occurred, LCAP continues to track the progress of its students. 
    “We have one student who was a winner of the Vision contest, I think, three years in a row,” said Eckert. “He’s very promising. He’s enrolling in Skidmore College in the fall.” 
    “We had another student who is just such a great mouthpiece for our program,” continued Eckert. “He was a participant for the last couple years, and this year he decided, ‘No, I want other people to take advantage of this because I’ve learned so much.’ He’s now taken on the role of a volunteer. He wants to give back and tell everyone else about it.” 
    “We have the Ceballos family who started this year in our photography class,” she added. “They’ve been English as a Second Language students in our program for some time now, and they really love it. Their proficiency in English has been phenomenal. It just proves that, with dedication, they can really get into it, and they’ve just become more confident in their every day lives. Then they decided to do something fun and start this photography class. That is an example of a family that has really traveled through our program.” 
    Maria Ceballos, a current-year photography and English student, is grateful for the chances the program has given her and her family. 
    “We have been presented the great opportunity to get to know the Saratoga Springs EOC, whom I am very thankful for, because they have helped us a lot with English, photography classes, with our doctors’ appointments and health insurance, and also with unemployment services,” Ceballos said. “The funds from Vision are collected and used to continue to help other people, just like my family, to provide more opportunities for their future.” 
    As Vision and Estamos Aqui continue to grow, Eckert sees an increased impact on the community. 
    “This year we’ve really boosted the traveling exhibit of the past Vision photos,” she said. “They’ve been at cafe Uncommon Grounds in downtown Saratoga and the Arts Council. They are going to be in the Clifton Park library soon. We are trying to do a monthly rotation and really promote it. We’ve been going to information sessions around the county and really spreading the news about what the photography project is and then also what the EOC does. It’s opened up another way the EOC can tell the community about the great opportunities we have and the services that we offer. We like the intimate setting that Vision is now, but with awareness of Estamos Aqui and our programming, it would be great if it got bigger and bigger.” –Heather Likins