Teacher Stephanie Carrico (Photography Professional Development)

Photo teacher Stephanie Carrico participated in an Evening Photo Shoot and Light Painting Workshop, hosted at what is affectionately referred to as the "Presidents Heads” in Virginia. Outside Williamsburg, giant busts of the 42 U.S. presidents are decaying in a field, moved there after the park they resided in closed down in 2010. The workshop was organized by John Plashal, who is a photographer, author, and speaker based in Richmond. Plashal spends a considerable amount of his free time assimilating into rural communities in Virginia, ultimately with the goal of tapping into local knowledge in order to identify, photograph, and document places that offer beauty in decay and unique histories, which is chronicled in his inaugural coffee table book, A Beautifully Broken Virginia.

Though stationed in Phoenix, Arizona, Stephanie Carrico’s photography rarely captures the city’s prosperous, quickly changing landscape. Rather, her art focuses on preservation by neglect; the intricate waltz of nature, humanity, and the unwavering tempo of time taking center stage. This workshop was an extremely rare and special opportunity, not only to learn light painting techniques, but also to have the opportunity to photograph these decaying behemoths.