Lawndale Tribune
AND lAwNDAle News
The Weekly Newspaper of Lawndale
Herald Publications - El Segundo, Hawthorne, Lawndale & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 79, No. 36 - September 3, 2020
Romaine Calm. Lettuce Turnip the Beet.
LESD is Serving Up Good Nutrition.
School gardens update: We’re so excited to have our new food corps service member Lisbeth Hernandez. This past Wednesday she passed out grapes, pomegranates and figs, grown in our school gardens, during meal distribution. This school year Lisbeth will be helping out
in the gardens and assisting our Food Services Department at Mark Twain Elementary School and Billy Mitchell Elementary School. If you see her make sure to say hi. Photo courtesy LESD Nutrition. •
Hawthorne Happenings from page 3
iPod music player for Christmas. She then
explains, “It was the first device I ever had
that had a [decent] camera on it...Whether
it’s like ‘whoa! the color of that fire hydrant
looks really cool against the color of the
grass,’ or the sunset, I’ll photograph it so I
can hold onto that moment.” Tran felt as if
the whole world around her was beautiful
and it inspired her to show others what her
eyes saw. With the help of her friends and
followers, Tran was inspired to continue with
her art to become better at what she started.
I then asked Tran “What’s your favorite
thing about photography?” She responded by
saying she loves everything about the field of
photography. She added, “At the top of my
list would probably be the community that
[her artwork] creates.” She says, “Portrait
photography by nature is [mostly] an intimate
experience. You are capturing the essence of
other individuals and are trying to find the
best parts of them”. She finds it meaningful
and widely important that she gets to know
her clients before any photoshoots she does
with them that day.
“Most people are uncomfortable in front of
the camera,” Tran describes, “so the conversations
you run through in those first moments
are crucial in establishing an environment
of comfort.” She closes her response by
expressing “the community between other
photographers and creatives is like continuously
discovering long lost family members
that you kind of just click with, and I love
that about being a photographer.”
“What do you want to accomplish while
you’re doing photography?” was the main
topic question of my interview. Tran said she
“grew up in an environment and society where
creative careers are frowned upon because
of monetary things and it took [her] a long
time to fully embrace her love for the arts.”
Being a creator makes her feel vibrant and
alive and she hopes to share her experience
with others. Similarly to Myah Alvarado,
Tran desires to start her own business where
it is surrounded by nothing but a community
of profound creators who want to bring
positivity, not only to our local creators, but
our society. For her, she claims this will help
her grow as a creator through engaging with
other modes of art.
To conclude this interview, I asked her
“What piece of advice would you give to
those who are starting their own photography
business?” She right away responds by saying
“there’s going to be so many times where
you just want to give up because it feels
like there’s no point…but let me tell you…
we’re in this amazing transitional period in
time where the importance and dedication
of creatives is becoming more recognized”.
Unfortunately, we live in a world where
sometimes more high level creators are too
selfish to share their tips because they want
to stay and feel entitled. Eventually, that can
discourage upcoming artists to feel stuck or
unmotivated and not continue the art that they
are meant to do. She encourages upcoming
creators to not get too involved in those toxic
parts of the community that they potentially
might hold.
In closing, Tran aspires and urges upcoming
artists and creators “to remain true to
yourself,” she continues, “it’s common that
many photographers don’t like sharing their
secrets because everyone is in competition…
I will continue to learn and to teach as long
as I am able to, in the hopes of seeing us
all succeed.”
If you want to contact either or both artists,
you can download the Instagram app from
your Apple Store or Google Play store for
free! Just go to your favorite mobile device,
open the application store you have access
to, and search ‘Instagram’ in order to download
it! Once you download this app, you
can search @papayacustomsss to give your
boyfriend/girlfriend or yourself a new pair
of customs shoes! But, if you are looking to
have some graduation or wedding pictures
taken, or to simply model, send a message
to the Instagram account @transpectrum to
set up your next photoshoot!
My Thoughts
You hardly ever easily see shoe designers,
photographers, or any creator in our community.
I honestly never once felt inspired to
do some type of art until I saw Karina Tran
everywhere on my Instagram. I remember
seeing her photos and telling myself “wow!
I want to do something like that,” and I did
just that. In high school, I did photography
and absolutely loved it and many of my old
school friends loved my art too. I would go
out with friends, see something that would
catch my eye, and capture the moment. My
school eventually knew me as ‘the girl with
the camera’ and started asking me for prom
photoshoots. After a few years went by, I’ve
seen so many other creators, such as Myah
Alvarado, and amazing local musicians in
the South Bay who desperately want to be
in the industry of art. However, many of us
living in the South Bay can’t afford music or
painting classes. We have to rely on ourselves
to learn new skills, but I see that as an opportunity
of self-exploration and searching
of what you are meant to be in this life. •
CLASSIFIED ADS – ONLY $40
for twenty words or less.
Email class@heraldpublications.com or call 310-322-1830 for more information.