Sofia Montesdeoca
In my photography, I use both black-and-white and color depending on what type of emotion I want to evoke in my images. I want to understand the different perspectives that are perceived through my art. I photograph solely to educate. I love to spread my knowledge, opinions, and ideals through my photography, and I want to educate others about who I am and why I choose to take specific photos. I am a Latine, nonbinary, lesbian photographer and, through my photos, I want people to learn about my culture, sexuality, and personal ideas because they are my inspirations and are important to me.
Although I do love taking photos for my pleasure, I want my images to have meaning and purpose for others. I don't have a process when it comes to photography, but I take candid portraits to make my viewers to feel as though they were there when the photograph was taken. Photographer Andre D. Wagner and his black-and-white street photography inspire me to approach black-and-white photography differently. Photographer Micaiah Carter inspires me by photographing the Black community, shining beautiful light on them using color.
I want to utilize black-and-white and take photos of the Latine community. I haven’t connected much to my Latine roots as someone born in the United States, however, that doesn’t make me any less Latine. I want to show my culture and how beautiful it is. I want to photograph how being Latine unites people through music and food. I want to replay my childhood and what I grew up with as an Ecuadorian and El Salvadoran. I need people to know how beautiful it is to be someone in my community. Sofia Montesdeoca, b. 2008
Amor Mia, 2024
Digital inkjet print
Sheet: 16 × 20 in.Sofia Montesdeoca, b. 2008
Viva Mexico, 2024
Digital inkjet print
Sheet: 16 × 20 in.
Sofia Montesdeoca is currently a sophomore at the Young Women’s Leadership Harlem and lives in East Harlem. They’re a student ambassador who gives tours to school visitors, including celebrities, administrators of other schools, and parents of future students. Sofia shares their experience with those they tour and gives them a brief rundown of their life at The Young Women's Leadership School. A few of their hobbies are photography, video games, filmmaking, and watching TV. Some of their favorite video games are Dead by Daylight, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Overwatch 2, and Fortnite. Their dream career is to be a neuroscientist or film producer. They’ve always loved the intricacies of working behind the scenes, something not many people pay attention to, and hope they can make the behind-the scenes more appealing to others than what is directly in front of them.