Photographer Spotlight: Allexandra Torres
The photographer spotlight is a recurring feature on the DFP Education Blog, where we chat with a member of the Documentary Family Photographers Community so we can get to know them better and can celebrate their work.
Today we are chatting with Allexandra Torres, a photographer from Northern California who makes the most delightful pictures of senior living communities, in addition to her other fantastic work.
Meet Allexandra
A photographer in California
Tell us about yourself! Give us an uninhibited, short and snappy bio in 10 sentences or less:
I’ve always been a dork and I finally just embrace it better. The older I get the less I care about what other people think of me and my work. As long as no one thinks I would ever intentionally hurt someone else, I could care less about whether or not someone is judging me. All I mean by that is that I value everyone’s opinion, but in the end, I’m the one who has to stand by myself, my work, and my decisions.
I’ve spent 21 years as a middle school educator and while I once thought I wanted to quit that job to only do photography, I realized that even on the hard days, I truly LOVE what I do and don’t want to give it up. So photography will continue to be a side gig until I retire from education. I’m a total introvert, completely awkward in social situations, shy, but feisty. My biggest dream from as far back as I can remember is to help other people. There are sooooo many ways photography allows me to do that!
What’s in Your Camera Bag?
PENTAX baby! Call it my gentle way of busting out of the mold and being quietly different, or whatever you want, there is something nostalgic about Pentax gear. Not to mention in-body stabilization and full weatherproofing, what’s not to love about Pentax?!?!?! My favorite lens is my 31mm followed closely by my 77mm and 24-70. During sports seasons I love my 55-300 although that’s really a crop lens and I have been lusting after the full frame 70-200 for well over a year now. Thanks to COVID I really haven’t had a need for the longer lens since, sadly, my kids are out of sports for now.
Do you photograph anything besides documentary family work? If so, how do you balance that?
My first love (giddy obsession) is shooting in senior living communities over multiple days. I also do more traditional family documentary shoots and I love a beautiful portrait. Nothing fancy, not too much posing, just natural, happy, authentic personality shining through. Depending on the session and the people involved, I will just ask for a little extra time and take a few portraits towards the end of a session if it’s not already a dedicated portrait session.
Are there any projects you are currently working on? Tell us about them.
Well there’s my “Filth” project which (thank goodness I don’t care what anyone thinks) shows the dilapidated parts of my house that just keep being delayed and neglected. How your home reflects what’s in your soul is fascinating and I’m exploring how I neglect myself and allow things to fester and how that is reflected in my home and vice versa.
Another project I have photos for but haven’t actually launched or talked much about yet is a When I Found Out project about families with children with Autism. These are portraits of kids paired with portraits of their parent and words from the parent about how finding out their child had Autism impacted their family, their relationship with their child, and their relationship with the world. There’s something about understanding who someone truly is that you can’t overlook with Autism. Kids are incredible and I believe that kids with Autism have a gift that the world needs to acknowledge and every kid with Autism has a different, highly unique gift to share.
What do you struggle with and how do you overcome those struggles?
Not surprising that I avoided this question until last. I struggle with making sure I’m doing enough while balancing all of the things and not letting any one thing overtake my life. I’m constantly questioning whether I’m doing “enough” or “good enough” and being incredibly hard on myself when I think I’m not. So much of the time I’m afraid of not doing something the right way so I do nothing at all. Having confidence that my work is good enough and that I’m doing enough (but not too much) for my kids are all constant struggles.
If you could give other photographers one piece of advice, what would it be?
Just put it out there. It’s really hard to put your work out there, but just do it. And share with more than just one circle, mentor, group, or community. I had a mentor who would tell me my work was good and getting better, but since I had worked with her for so long I kind of didn’t believe her. Not that she would ever have lied to me, but it was fulfilling to start sharing on a broader scope and have people from a wider network appreciate my work. So PUT IT OUT THERE!!!! Take critique, keep working, keep growing, and KEEP SHOOTING!!!! Sometimes I have to remember to take my own advice too!
About the Author:
Here’s the thing, the world is complex, and simple, and beautiful, and ugly, and familiar and so, so strange. My way to inhabit it has always been with a strong desire to see places and to make things. Through my life experiences, I have developed an intense appreciation for the built environment, for the amazing things that people create, and for the juxtaposition of built and natural.
My work stems from a process of slowing down. It asks questions, remains curious, and is filled with appreciation for the people, places and details that are all around us, but that we don’t always take the time to stop and notice.