About Us

We created Existing Light upon graduating from the New England School of Photography (NESOP) in Boston, and entering the daunting and fantastic world of being newly professional photographers. We each wanted to use a blog for multiple reasons – to promote our own work, and write about issues in photography and society today. Given our common backgrounds in gender studies and sociology, as well as our experiences breaking into the photography and art worlds, we have unique perspectives and voices that we want to share with others.

From Existing Light you can expect updates on our work, stories from navigating/managing our new careers, work from photographers that inspire us, and maybe even some interviews. Please enjoy and thanks for reading!

—Our bios—

Steph Plourde-Simard is a documentary and fine art photographer based in Boston. In her previous life she earned a BA in women’s studies and sociology, and an MA in gender/cultural studies, both from Simmons College. Her work focuses on issues of survival and navigating to the heart of social/political issues through personal stories. In addition to working as a photographer’s assistant and shooting events to make a living, Steph volunteers at a domestic violence organization and has been a social justice activist for about 9 years. Her website and portfolio is at www.stephplourdesimard.com.

Caleb Cole is an artist working mainly with color photography, both digital and film. Most of his work is conceptual in nature and his primary interests are exploring ambiguities and contradictions, particularly those related to sex and identity. He loves to teach people about photography and hopes to one day support himself as a teacher and working artist. When not making new art, he tries to make a living by working at his alma mater, shooting events, assisting, and doing a variety of digital handiwork. His website and portfolio is at www.calebcolephoto.com.

Photo © Caleb Cole