A San Luis Obispo art gallery is displaying photos of eight LGBTQ+ families that live on the Central Coast. The exhibit was created in response to the sudden rise in anti-LGBTQ+ legislation that has swept across the country.
The exhibit called "We Are Family," commissioned two local photographers to take the photos.
Their goal was to capture the joy and unconditional love they saw between the LGBTQ+ family members.
One of the photographers, Renoda Campbell said she chose to take photos in a studio and to develop them in black and white.
“We thought when we’re talking about families, you know, do we want to have it look more traditional? To show that all families are traditional, all families have, you know, this love within each other. And so then I thought, ‘Sears Portrait studio, let's do that!’” Campbell said.
Campbell said she remembers being rigidly posed alongside her own family in those Sears portraits. Though, she said she tried to create a more enjoyable experience for the families she photographed.
Meanwhile the other photographer, Summer Truschke said she wanted to challenge what a ‘normal’ family photo is supposed to look like. She asked each family to pick their favorite place to spend time with each other.
The photos show them eating dinner, picking apples, and laughing with each other at the beach.
“I got to see the personalities of each member of the family. Everyone was so unique and their dynamics were so interesting. It's hard to get a glimpse into that normally unless you really are super close with that family,” Truschke said.
Truschke said getting that close helped her capture each families’ story.
The exhibit will be on display until the end of this month at The Bunker in San Luis Obispo.
