Creative Spotlight - Carol Antezana

By Cindy Guerrero-Munguia

---

Carol Antezana is a Bolivian-American portrait photographer currently residing in Northern Virginia. She received her BFA in Fine Art Photography and currently works as a freelance photographer and a teaching artist for Darkroom Photography at Capitol Hill Arts Workshop. Antezana specializes in maternity and newborn shoots as she finds these to be the most rewarding experiences.

"The connection with the mother of the newborn is super empowering and a genuine celebration of womanhood."

A lot of her inspiration comes from photographers like Julia Margaret Cameron, Ralph Eugen Meatyard, Francesca Woodman, and Cindy Sherman. Antezana uses black and white, as well as pops of color, to tell stories and convey emotions through her portraiture. For other personal work such as portraits, or even self-portraits, Antezana pulls inspiration from her personal experiences, ancestral roots, death and womanhood. She sees self-portraits as a means of self-therapy.

“I think the ability to look back at a photograph or series and to remember how I felt in that time and how I was able to overcome that obstacle is important.”

Antezana most recently completed her Darkroom Residency at CHAW where she created a photographic series called Mother’s Aguayo, “[examining] the relationship between a Bolivian mother and her first generation American daughter through self-portraiture and the incorporation of traditional Cholita garments such as the Aguayo.” This series was photographed using Polaroid, color film, as well as studio lighting. 

To check out the rest of this series or more, make sure to check her out below!

carolatezana.com

IG: carol_antezana