2024 City Hearts Digital Photography Portfolio Reviews (Compton, California)

Our wonderful student Photographers from Compton have worked hard to create amazing portfolios during the 2023-24 school year.
To celebrate their work, we gathered 6 local and international Professional Photographers to review student portfolios and submit feedback via video.
A special thanks to our Photography Teaching Artist, Ayda Gragossian, who has led these students along the way. Ayda is an Iranian-American Painter and Photographer. Her work explores the notions of displacement and impermanence in relation to the urban landscape. Aside from her Art practice, which has been exhibited internationally, Ayda has worked as an Art educator at LACMA and the Hammer Museum, mentoring Art teachers and young students across underserved communities in Los Angeles. She received her B.A. from California State University, Northridge, and her M.F.A. from the University of Oxford.
PHOTOGRAPHERS:
Jeff Lewis: Jeff is based in Southern California, and his passion for sports has taken him all around the world for sports and portrait assignments for magazines, newspapers, and commercial clients. An AP Images and Super Bowl Champion Photographer (Los Angeles Rams), Jeff has photographed many high profile events including the Super Bowl and the NBA Finals for clients such as the Associated Press and USA Today Sports. His work has been featured in Sports Illustrated, ESPN the Magazine, GQ, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, and many other media outlets around the world. Other clients have included Samsung, Verizon, Canon, Alpha Phi Alpha, Fraternity, Inc., and countless athletes all around the world.
Jamaal Murray: In 2012, Jamaal, launched Photos By Jamaal, one of the most successful headshot companies in Los Angeles. Upon launching, Jamaal's reputation quickly grew as he found himself working with top-tier talent agencies, providing them with high quality images for their actors. Now, Jamaal finds himself as one of the most in-demand headshot and portrait Photographers in Los Angeles with works featured in The LA Times, Deadline, and Essence Magazine. He has a passion not just for photography but also for producing and acting. As an accomplished actor, Jamaal has appeared in numerous commercials, plays, and films. His experience on both sides of the camera have given him a unique understanding of the entertainment industry, allowing him to create content that resonates with a wide range of creatives.
Chuck Jones: Chuck is the Owner of the highly successful videography and photography company, MFB Entertainment, which opened its doors in 2007. A versatile visionary, he has shot album covers, book covers, and has had his worked featured in magazines including Essence. As a videographer, he has captured television, film, music videos along with events and promos. As a photographer, his work spans over several categories including weddings, headshots, lifestyle, and maternity sessions. Chuck holds a BA in Cinema and Television Arts from Cal State University at Northridge.
Arturo Soto: Arturo has published the photobooks In the Heat (2018) and A Certain Logic of Expectations (2021). He holds a PhD in Fine Art from the University of Oxford, an MFA in Photography from the School of Visual Arts in New York, an MA in Art History from University College London, and undergraduate degrees in Film and Photography from the Savannah College of Art and Design. His work has been exhibited internationally and is included in the books Imaginaria and the Subjective Atlas of Mexico. He lives in Wales, where he is a Lecturer in Photography at Aberystwyth University.
Sacha Halona Baumann: Sacha is an artist, designer, curator, publisher, and art business professional based in downtown Los Angeles. She is the independent publisher of FULL BLEDE, a contemporary art and writing broadsheet. In Los Angeles she has curated exhibitions at Noysky Projects, Charlie James Gallery, and Keystone Artspace. Sacha received her BA in Visual Communication from San Francisco State University and Masters in Art Business from the Sotheby’s Institute of Art (now the Center for Business and Management of the Arts) at Claremont Graduate University. STEP and REPEAT, featuring her ongoing photography series focusing on downtown Los Angeles, was published in 2022 and 2023. The two unique volumes feature 450+ images presented in a full-color, 480 page soft cover trade paperback. The third volume will be published in fall 2024.
Thomas Locke Hobbs: Thomas has had his work exhibited in many places such as Cuzco, Lima, London, Phoenix and online with Abrir Galeria. His book, Maravilla del Mundo, was shortlisted for the Tinta.pe award in Lima and selected for Festival ZUM in São Paulo. He has taught photography at the New York Film Academy as well as Arizona State University and has given workshops around the world. He holds an MFA in Photography from Arizona State University and also studied at the Talleres de Estética Fotográfica in Buenos Aires.