As soon as I saw Catarina’s striking photograph of the eye close-up, it made me think of Man Ray’s famous image, “Tears”.

An upturned female gaze with the typical overplucked eyebrows of that time (1932), mascara meticulously brushed on eyelashes and a sprinkling of clear glass tears.

The iconic photograph is believed to have been made after Man Ray’s breakup with Lee Miller, his muse and lover. In her own right, she was a model turned war photojournalist. Whatever the actual circumstances of their breakup, the glass tears seem to imply that there was some emotional artifice.

Fun fact: “Tears” is very likely the reference for one of the shots in Quentin Tarantino’s film Pulp Fiction.

Another fun fact: Man Ray was one of the leading figures in the surrealist and Dada movements. Romanian artist and poet Tristan Tzara is remembered as the father of the anti-establishment Dadaism - dada translates to “yeah, yeah” in Romanian.

It’s like playing six degrees of separation with visual references. Fun, right?

Another image that comes to mind is “Țărancă voioasă” (Cheerful Peasant Woman), an 1894 oil painting by Nicolae Grigorescu. There’s something about that similar quality of light and slight tilt of the head that seems to echo Catarina’s image. Grigorescu is another legacy artist, regarded as one of the founders of modern Romanian art.

There’s also this black-and-white portrait by Japanese photographer Daido Moriyama from his Memory series. Here the connecting thread is marked by the dramatic shadows on the woman’s face. But unlike Catarina’s expressive photograph, the high contrast in Moriyama’s image presents an unexpected feeling of ambiguity created by the virtual abyss in the woman’s eyes.

If I take a step back from the shadows and focus more on the light source and expression, I could also include this portrait by photographer Bruce Gilden, who is known for using a bright flash on his unsuspecting targets. It’s really one of his kinder portraits.

Last one - I know, it’s a bit of a stretch.

Now, while Catarina’s image sparked a game Telephone with visual references, I was delighted by the variety of composition techniques the group used on their photo walk.

Ariana’s landscape of the Juanita Bay boldly raised the horizon, which draws the viewer’s gaze to the foreground. The tilt of the camera also emphasises the vastness and proximity to the body of water. Does this perspective give you a slight unease, as if the water is barely contained in the frame?

I first thought of Andrew Wyeth’s painting, “Cristina’s World” (1948), but there are, of course, many examples of this technique in Romanian art. “Despărțirea din urmă” (The Final Parting) by George Ștefănescu-Râmnic (1982).

Stretching that thread again… the silhouettes in the above painting also remind me of this glass sculpture I saw at the Seattle Art Fair a few years ago. This is blown and hot sculpted glass by Jenny Pohlman and Sabrina Knowles.

Sabina and Sorana both used the concept of frame within a frame, as a visual element to create a border inside the image and guide the viewer’s eye.

In his photograph, Henri Cartier-Bresson uses the hole in the wall to focus the viewer’s gaze on the children playing. It also adds some context to the scene, highlighting the contrast of the children adapting to the consequences of political turmoil. It acts as a punctum—what Barthes describes as the detail that pierces the viewer.

In Sabina’s photo, the great blue heron stands out as the clear subject. This is achieved by the use of negative space. Without any other distracting elements in the frame, as the eye goes directly to the subject.

This is Lucio Fontana’s “Spatial Concept, Waiting” (1960). A clean, white canvas dissected by sharp cut lines. It’s simple, powerful and complete.

There are plenty of rules to follow, but ultimately how an image is created comes down to a personal formula of artistic control, instinct, and intent. Do you want to be subtle, create tension, or inspire a feeling of whimsy?

The blue heron is getting ready for dinner. Partially covered by the vibrant green cattail leaves, it patiently preened its feathers, seemingly oblivious to the lens focused on it. Nearby, a group of ducks drifted slowly, rippling the calm water. Suddenly, a chorus of bird calls echoed through the marsh, prompting everyone to look up. The observers turn their heads, exchanging excited looks with every step.

These quiet, focused observers were the talented ARCS teen photographers from our community, gathered for their second photo walk of the summer.

The excursion followed a highly successful first outing at the local botanical garden. During that lovely stroll, the teens focused their lenses on the vibrant world of flora, capturing flowers of every imaginable color, texture, and shape.

Now, they traded flower petals for feathers as they set out to discover the rich fauna of Juanita Bay Park in Kirkland.

Known for its thriving wetlands and accessible boardwalks, Juanita Bay Park proved to be the perfect classroom for budding wildlife photographers. Unlike the stationary subjects of a botanical garden, the park’s residents required a whole new set of skills: patience, precision, and observation.

But look a little closer, and you’ll realize this walk was about much more than just photography.

The patience required for wildlife photography naturally created space for connection. While waiting for the perfect frame or for a hidden bird to reveal itself, the camera lenses lowered, and conversations began.

During these moments of stillness, the teens shared their personal and academic successes from the past school year. Even more exciting, they exchanged ideas for future endeavors. You can practically see the seeds of creativity being sown in the marshlands; don’t be surprised if you see some incredible collaborative group projects growing from these planted ideas in the months to come.

The patience required for wildlife photography naturally creates space for connection.

Stay tuned for the stunning wildlife gallery these creative teens captured from the bay!

We are deeply grateful to every teenager who joined us for this Photo Walk, and to the parents who encouraged them to come. We cannot wait to see where the next Photo Walk takes us!

On a warm summer evening, a group of teenagers gathered at Bellevue Botanical Garden carrying cameras, phones, and plenty of curiosity. They came to take photographs, but by the end of the evening they had discovered something else as well: how much more enjoyable photography becomes when it is shared.

The ARCS Teen Photo Walk was born from a simple idea. This September, ARCS will host a community photography exhibition at Gallery 4500 in Seattle. The exhibition, centered around the theme Sun Kissed, is open to photographers of all ages, and we wanted to make sure that young artists had the opportunity not only to participate, but also to feel confident enough to exhibit their work alongside adults.

Rather than simply inviting them to submit photographs, we thought it would be far more meaningful to create opportunities to photograph together.

From the beginning, we envisioned these walks as a place where young people connect through creativity rather than background. While many participants came from the Romanian-American community, others did not, and that made the evening even richer. Some of the teenagers arrived as friends, while others were meeting for the first time. By the end of the evening, it was difficult to tell which was which.

Photography became a common language as they wandered through the gardens together, exchanging ideas, pointing out interesting subjects, and encouraging one another.

It was wonderful to see teenagers who had never met before spending the evening exploring the gardens together, exchanging ideas, and encouraging one another. Small groups formed naturally as participants wandered through the gardens looking for light, reflections, flowers, textures, and unexpected details. They compared photographs, showed each other interesting compositions, experimented with close-up shots, pointed out subjects others had missed, and exchanged ideas about perspective, framing, and the way changing light transforms a scene. There was no formal lesson and no competition, just young people learning from one another through curiosity and conversation.

Photography became the reason to explore, but it was no longer the only purpose of the evening.

Seeing how much everyone enjoyed the experience, we are already thinking beyond this first walk. We hope to continue organizing ARCS Teens Photo Walks throughout the summer and, if the enthusiasm continues, well beyond it.

Our hope is that these walks become more than photography outings. We hope they become places where young members of our community meet, inspire one another, build friendships, and gradually become active participants in the artistic and cultural life of our region.

The photographs featured here are a selection from our first evening together at Bellevue Botanical Garden. Some may eventually become part of the Sun Kissed exhibition this September. More importantly, they represent the beginning of what we hope will become a growing community of young artists creating, learning, and exploring together.

We are deeply grateful to every teenager who joined us for this first walk, and to the parents who encouraged them to come. We cannot wait to see where the next Photo Walk takes us!