About Las Fotos Project

Las Fotos Project is a photography mentoring nonprofit located in Boyle Heights that utilizes the power of photography to encourage students to explore their identity, community, and future careers.

This program is supported in part by the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture.

Meet the photographers

Delilah Mendez

@dmonum1

Delilah Mendez is a 17-year-old Mexican American photographer who splits her time between La Puente and East Los Angeles and has a passion for storytelling through the lens. Photography offers her a space to take control of her art and express how she sees the world. Through her photographs, Mendez invites her audience to reflect on themes of change, community, and perspective. She strives to convey the power of empathy and connection, hoping to inspire others to embrace new points of view, challenge their assumptions, and see the world with greater understanding and openness through her work.

Pan-American Sounds by Delilah Mendez, SEPT 19 2026

Gabriela Salazar

@picsconamor

Gabriela Salazar is a Los Angeles-based photographer with Salvadoran roots whose work is shaped by family, community, and lived experience. Drawn to vibrant color, nature, and the energy of urban LA, she creates maximalist storytelling rooted in everyday life, often building concepts from what’s around her and letting her environment shape each image. Her work centers undocumented communities working, gathering, and celebrating because movement captures people in their most honest state. This perspective is informed by her photojournalistic work documenting essential workers during the pandemic, when photography became a way for her to witness resilience and labor. She also documents movement through portrait, event, and sports photography, capturing moments that highlight effort, solidarity, and joy. Blending documentary and portrait photography with surrealist elements, Salazar uses double exposure to tell stories that feel dream-like and challenge narrow ideas of who belongs in fine art spaces. For her, photography is a form of agency: a way to reclaim autonomy, resist simplification, and cultivate joy.

Helado Tropical by Gabriela Salazar, AUG 13 2026

Kali Salazar

@slzrkive

Kali Salazar is a Peruvian American photographer based in Southern California. Starting out, photography was a way for her to document and preserve memories, and its purpose has since then evolved as she delved into visual storytelling. Salazar is constantly inspired by the passion poured out by the people around her, whether it be on set, at a game, or at a concert. Their energy pushes her to deliver the best results as she captures them in their element. Salazar is drawn to candid moments, where her camera is invisible and becomes an observer to what unfolds before her. Salazar’s creative journey—beginning with her local community college’s soccer team and continuing on to her current work with Angel City FC as part of LFP’s Artist-in-Residence program—has shaped the photographer that she is today. Every experience she’s had has deepened her passion for telling a story through photos. Salazar picks up the camera each day driven by the excitement of the unknown.

Krystal Vasquez

@fotosbykrystal

Krystal Vasquez is a Los Angeles-based photographer from Huntington Park, CA. She is inspired by everyday life, live music, and the creative energy that surrounds her. Vasquez loves capturing concerts, events, sports, and portraits because she enjoys documenting genuine moments and emotions in real time. Over the years, photographing local shows and live events throughout Los Angeles has helped shape her creative journey and has pushed her to grow both personally and professionally as a photographer.

Nothing Compares 2 Prince by Krystal Vasquez, SEPT 25 2026

Starla Mendoza

@lensofstarla

Starla Mendoza is a 16 year-old photographer born, raised, and based in Los Angeles. With every photo she captures, Mendoza aims to express and showcase the creative outburst that happens in her mind. Mendoza comes from an artistic family, with each person having an interest in varying art forms. Photography has always felt like the perfect outlet for her, as it affords her the opportunity to share her views of the world. Mendoza aims to capture emotion through every click of the camera, from quiet moments to hectic environments. She is always open to exploring new forms of photography and adapting to what each space calls for. Through the lens, Mendoza hopes to tell stories and highlight the emotions in the environment.

Flamenco! María Bermúdez's Convivencias by Starla Mendoza, SEPT 12 2026

Virtual Showcase

Enjoy the selected work of the previous Community Residencies LFP CEO Cohort. The gallery updates at the end of every season.

Photo credit: Delilah Mendez, Pan-American Sounds, SEPT 19 2026

Photo credit: Starla Mendoza, Flamenco! María Bermúdez's Convivencias, SEPT 12 2026

Photo credit: Gabriela Salazar, Journey Through Cahuenga, JUL 12 2026

Photo Credit: Krystal Vasquez, Nothing Compares 2 Prince, SEPT 25 2026

Photo credit: Krystal Vasquez, Aida Rodriguez’s The Remix, JUL 17 2026

Photo Credit: Gabriela Salazar, Helado Tropical, AUG 13 2026

The Ford welcomes five LFP CEO photographers and their LFP mentors to capture 10 different shows every season after cohort applicants undergo a selection process in review by of The Ford team.

The Ford provides two professional development sessions to the LFP CEO Cohort to foster the necessary skills to excel in their show captures (for which they are paid) and to build their portfolios and their professional network. 

The sessions took the form of workshops conducted by LA Phil professionals, offering hands-on training:

One professional development session, hosted at the LFP site and open to all LFP students and community members, consisted of an in-depth presentation on the camera settings and equipment needed to excel in concert photography, followed by a presentation by Creative Director of the LA Phil, Natalie Suarez, who introduced the importance of shaping one’s perspective to find the correct narrative for a client’s request.  
The second session was hosted at The Ford for the LFP CEO cohort and their mentors to learn about concert photography and asset delivery specific to the venue. We invited Farah Sosa, LA Phil House Photographer, and LA Phil staff from Media Initiatives and the CLARK management system to explain venue-specific protocols necessary for the cohort to have a successful experience at The Ford.

Each photographer from the LFP CEO Cohort gets the chance to capture two shows, with guidance and assistance from an LFP mentor during their show capture.

The LFP CEO Cohort receives guided support from The Ford and an LFP mentor to help the photographers deliver their images within 24 hours of a show capture, which aligns with industry-standard asset-delivery expectations.

Cohort photographers are encouraged to use any approved images in their portfolios and social-media pages to display their photographic skills and potentially widen their opportunities.

To commemorate the work of the LFP CEO Cohort, The Ford inaugurated a Las Fotos Project x The Ford Gallery wall. The gallery highlights 10 images, one image for each show and two per cohort photographer.

Once The Ford season ends, the LFP x the Ford Gallery updates to display selected images by the new cohort. (Unfortunately, the physical gallery is not open to the public, but please enjoy the selected images available for viewing via the virtual gallery.) 