Los Angeles Photographer
Portrait | Documentary | Sill Life | Urban Lifestyle
Megan Pennings (she/her) is an Xicana educator and artist originally from Baldwin Park, California. Megan's photography covers many styles, including portraiture, documentary, still life, and urban lifestyle. Her work intricately weaves social media, culture, and community themes while exploring the complex relationship between identity and social expression.
Megan holds a M.F.A in Photography from the Academy of Art University San Francisco, an M.A. in Mexican-American Studies, a Graduate Certificate in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from Cal State Los Angeles, and a B.A. in Mexican-American Studies and Sociology from Cal State Los Angeles, and A.A. in Social and Behavioral Sciences from Mt. San Antonio College. She is an Adjunct Faculty member in Ethnic Studies at Chaffey College, Citrus College, Fullerton College, and Santa Ana College. She also teaches Digital Photography at South Hills High School.
Outside of academia, Megan has mentored with Las Fotos Project, a nonprofit that empowers teenage girls and gender-expansive youth through Photography. A member of Mujeres de Maíz, a collective advocating for women of color, demonstrates her dedication to creating inclusive spaces for empowerment and representation. Megan's co-curation of their annual live art show and exhibition is evidence of her ongoing efforts to amplify marginalized voices and drive social change within her community.
PHOTO BY: Anthony Hjaltalin (Hjaltalin Imgery)
The camera is more than just a device that captures moments; it is also a way to preserve and document moments within communities. Using storytelling within photography provides a view that allows others to understand how cultures and communities are connected within our society. I became interested in photography to capture candid moments of people within their natural environment. My choice of subjects comes from my interest in social media, culture, and community and how these aspects have become a form of expression within photography. This is the subject matter for my ongoing projects focusing on identity and social expression. Recently, I have concentrated on documentary portraits that capture communities based around the American subculture of bearded social clubs. These clubs used social media platforms to express and digitally archive the clubs' culture and community.