By Phoenix Guevara, March 25, 2025
The click of a camera shutter captures more than just an image — it freezes a moment, tells a story and preserves a perspective. In the world of visual storytelling, women photographers are making their mark, one frame at a time.
The celebration of Women’s History Month shines a spotlight on the evolving landscape of photography through the stories of three Cal Poly Pomona photographers — Robin Wise, Dipannita Roy and Lorena Turner — each representing the rich variety of women’s perspectives in the field.
Wise and Roy, members of Poly Lens, CPP’s photography club, represent the new generation of visual storytellers on campus. These rising photographers bring fresh perspectives and digital proficiency to the medium.
Roy, an architecture and urban & regional planning student, discovered her interest in photography through social media.
“What first drew me to photography was seeing those cheesy inspiration quotes on Instagram and Tumblr,” Roy said. “VSCO was also very popular at the time. It seemed like all the ‘cool girls’ at school had one, and I wanted to be like them.”
Roy shared her passion for photography with her older brother and started by using his iPod to take pictures before even getting a camera of her own.
In contrast, Wise, a biochemistry student and the public relations representative for Poly Lens, grew up surrounded by cameras thanks to her stepfather, a professional photographer specializing in large format and historical photography.
For both women, Poly Lens has become a valuable community to their college experience.
Roy described her first club trip to the Getty Villa as “life-changing,” while Wise was able to rediscover her passion for photography.
“For me, doing photography is kind of my artistic outlet,” Wise said. “Coming to a school where I’m a STEM major, I don’t have the opportunity to do it as much, so this has been my way of doing art consistently.”
Although Roy and Wise share the passion, their photographic styles differ significantly. Roy gravitates toward architecture and black-and-white photography. She believes it highlights the soul of her subjects rather than their surface.
Wise experiments with different styles, from landscapes to portraits, and regularly features bright colors that have become her signature. This difference in approach allows for a range of expression and interpretation, which makes photography a special art medium.
Now running for a leadership role in the club next year, Wise hopes to help her peers gain more professional experience while bringing much-needed female representation. Roy continues to display her talent on her Instagram and dreams of one day opening a coffee shop where she can display not only her photography, but the work of other artists as well.
While these young photographers represent the digital age of photography, Turner’s journey reflects the roots of the craft. Now a full-time lecturer in the Communication Department, Turner’s journey into photography started during a gap year she took in college, which ultimately was a turning point in her life.
“I had a friend who had gotten darkroom equipment from his dad, and he set it up in his closet,” Turner said. “He showed me how to use the darkroom equipment and develop my film…I really loved it.”
When Turner returned to college at UMass Boston, she started to pursue photography and developed a passion for the medium. She recalled finding herself naturally better than most without much effort and receiving a lot of positive feedback, a combination she hadn’t experienced before with other pursuits.
In a time when the internet was just starting, Turner drew inspiration from guest speakers who presented their work at her university. Coupled with darkroom sessions that often lasted hours, these experiences contributed to her personal and artistic growth.
After Turner graduated from UMass Boston with a studio art degree and a communications minor, she found herself in various specializations within the photography field. She worked as a photojournalist for a Spanish-language newspaper in New York and simultaneously traveled to Columbia to continue her work in photojournalism.
Turner pursued further education by studying at the University of New Mexico and the University of Oregon. This continued learning experience prepared her for her future as an educator. Turner now expands her portfolio in a simpler way.
“Recently, my goal has been to try to fit my work that I’m doing into my life,” Tuner said. “Even if I’m driving down the freeway, I will take pictures.”
Her priority now is educating the next group of photography professionals at CPP. Unlike the traditional techniques she learned in darkroom classes, which now feel nostalgic, Turner teaches modern software programs such as Adobe InDesign in her Media Design class. She aspires to continue mentoring students as they transition to their professional lives.
From the days of the darkroom to the era of drag-and-drop editing, these three photographers represent the spectrum of female photographer storytellers at CPP. While traditional photography methods have evolved, the passion for visual storytelling remains constant across generations.
Feature image courtesy of Dipannita Roy
