Beauty: In the eyes of young photographers

By LUANN ROD, Chronicle Staff Writer

Young girls, old girls, smiling girls, wise girls.

Twenty-two young photographers from the Gallatin Valley picked up cameras to capture the beauty of the many forms and faces of beauty in their worlds.

Lined faces, smooth faces, athletic bodies and contemplative gazes. Their photos reflect the visions young eyes see all around.

Now their work has been assembled for a show of stunning photographs, titled "Dream Beautiful," premiering Feb. 8 in the Bozeman Audi Dealership showroom.

"Maybe in the future we'll see one of these girls' name across a famous photo," said Amy Burkenpas. Burkenpas was one of six local photographers mentoring the project. "I was very impressed by all of the girls."

"Dream Beautiful" is part of the Girls for Change Conference, set for Feb. 24 at Montana State University. With the help and encouragement of mothers, aunts and local professionals in many areas of the community, the conference draws approximately 250 participants. This is the conference's third year.

The conference, with the theme "Dream Big," is different from many by that fact that the girls themselves plan and execute the event.

Productive, self-assured and passionate best describe these young women. They market, send out press releases and book nationally known speakers. They also raise money through grants, donations and fund-raising.

The photo show and sale, however, is a first for the group.

The photographers, all part of the conference-planning core committee and students in grades eight through 12, started the project in November. With only eight weeks to get organized and under way, they had to push it.

"I was really excited," Hannah Stark, 15 and a Bozeman High School sophomore, said of the photo project.

The girls all had different ideas of what beauty was, that, in the end, fit together so well, she said.

"Beauty has turned into a super materialistic thing," Stark said. "Beauty is really a state of mind."

The girls met with local professional photographers each Sunday to learn about the art of taking pictures. Most were using digital cameras for the first time which allowed them to take many, many versions of subjects to get the one photo that worked.

They snapped the world around them, especially chronicling women that are beautiful in their eyes -- the ones that guide, the ones they laugh with, the ones they love.

Their photos include grandmothers, mothers, aunts, sisters, teachers and friends.

On Jan. 2, the girls and their mentors met at the Loneman Studio in downtown Bozeman to select the best from each photographer's portfolio.

Sarah Craig, a BHS senior, and her mentor, Lissa Barber, scrolled through pictures on a laptop computer and selected their favorites. A trip to South America and the Galapagos Islands with her family was "a trip of a lifetime," she said. The two finally decided that one of her best photos was of a street vendor with shiny black hair and bright clothing.

"It's been really fun," Craig said of the project.

Maggie Hickman, an eighth grader, said her role models are her mom and aunt. Her mentor, photographer Burkenpas, thought a portrait of them was one of best on her photo disk.

"They're who I take after the most," Hickman said. "They both support me in all I do."

Burkenpas found there was a lot to teach in a short amount of time. At meetings, Burkenpas shared her expertise with a small group of girls, critiquing photos, encouraging, giving advice.

"I told them to get their own ideas, show what exactly real beauty means to them, and they did that. It wasn't the outer beauty, but about the inner beauty."

From the flip side, Burkenpas learned a few lessons from the girls. "I think just seeing from a teen point of view, what beauty means to them, versus what I think," was enlightening Burkenpas said.

Now that the photos have been selected, framed, the girls continue work on the art opening and Feb. 24 conference.

The show is a one-night-only event. It includes the work of the students, their mentors and donated works by other professional women photographers from around the area.

But it's really all about the girls.

"I'm really excited to see their (the public) responses," said Stark about their photographs. "And, I hope they buy some."

The Dream Beautiful show is at the Bozeman Audi dealership's showroom on Main Street, Thursday, Feb. 8, 6-9 p.m. There will be music and refreshments. Students will be admitted for free with ID; general admission is a $25 donation or $40 donation for two. Tickets are available at Bozeman Audi, Starky's Deli, the THRIVE offices; credit card orders can be made at Starky's Deli, 556-1111.

Here is list of the participants:

Teen photographers:

Breanna Bakke

Elena Bradley

Kayla Bradley

Molly Sech

Sarah Craig

Cameron Dabney

Sarah Hickey

Maggie Hickman

Breanne Huckabone

Haleigh Larmer

Sarah Martzloff

Shannon McCleary

Emily Rich

Emily Ringer

Izzy Scrantom

Hannah Stark

Mallory Stiff

Allison Tilt

Mentors:

Doug Loneman

Julie Langaker

Denise Stenzel

Deja Galloway

Lissa Barber

Amy Burkenpas

Professional photographers donating work:

Lynn Donaldson

Deirdre Eitel

Alexa Miller

Anne Sherwood

Barbara Van Cleve

Reader Comments