For my Photoville assignment, I attended “We Built This City: Destiny Mata and Gogy Esparza in Conversation” on Sept 27 on Zoom. I wasn’t able to watch everything, but I was able to hear Destiny Mata talk about her life and how she got into photography. She took a photography class and for one of her first assignments, she went out and took photos of her neighbors; she considers them her extended family. Destiny started photography when she was 18 and her aunt was the fashion photographer, Chayo Mata. Destiny’s aunt gave her her first camera and Destiny would walk around with her friend just taking photos of the area and people, which were the photos they displayed in the presentation.
I thought the whole talk was interesting. Each photographer had their own unique story into how they got into their current profession. For Destiny, it was her aunt and teacher that first pushed her into photography. The talk helped me understand that some people may have a greater impact on your life story than you realize, something as simple as a photography class might be the jumpstart of your career. Taking chances and being open to various opportunities is important if you want to find your passion.