Winter-2022

The Weston Collective Keeps Darkroom Photography Alive B Y B R E T T WI L BUR Z ach Weston is a fourth-generation pho- tographer in a family of legendary artists. His father, Kim Weston, is the son of Cole Weston, grandson of Edward Weston and the nephew of Brett Weston, famous for their black-and-white silver gelatin photographic images and other art forms. In 2004, Kim and wife Gina started the Weston Collective, a nonprofit for young pho - tographers, which Zach took over as executive director of in 2016. “My parents wanted to keep the tradition of film and darkroom photography alive,” Zach says. The Weston Collective partners with Martin Luther King Jr. School of the Arts in Seaside and offers studio sessions at the Collective’s Community Darkroom” in Seaside. A program is in the works for the Carmel Youth Center, and the Collective also has an artist in residence program sponsored by the Arts Council for Monterey County. The Weston Scholarship provides cash prizes to high school students for a photography competition, with well over $100,000 granted so far. “Seeing how much the scholarship program has impacted local kids and recognizing their pas- sion and skill for photography created a strong desire for me to continue to do that,” Weston says. “I want to create a community and a space where people feel like they can pursue the art of photography…and grow as artists.” For more information on workshops, darkroom rental, photography competitions and more, visit www.thewestoncollective.org . SHORT CUTS ART Zach Weston pictured with a group of students from Martin Luther King Jr. School of the Arts who participate in the The Weston Collective programs. 74 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • W I N T E R 2 0 2 2 Photo: Wendi Everett