An award-winning photographer on Monday showcased photos she took at places like the U.S.-Mexico border and the Everglades. 

At the event, hosted by AACC’s Photography Club, photographer Lisa Elmaleh spoke about her time taking photos and meeting asylum seekers at the Southern border.

“I’m really glad that Lisa was able to talk about a topic that a lot of people maybe don’t want to talk about … which was the border wall,” photography professor Matthew Moore said. “And so I’m kind of really glad that she went there and used photography in a way to have that conversation.”

Elmaleh’s work is featured in publications including Harper’s Magazine, CNN, Smithsonian Magazine and The New York Times.

“I mean, the turnout was great, the questions were really poignant,” Elmaleh said. “And I’m appreciative of all the students that showed up.”

Fifth-year photography student Graig Bracey, who takes photos for Campus Current, agreed the event had a good turnout.

“I feel like it inspired a lot of people who are into photography as a media form just more so and just learning from someone outside of a professor who does this for a living professionally,” Bracey said. “I felt [it] was really beneficial.”

Moore said the event was a good learning experience for photography students.

“The exciting thing for these students is that they’re getting access to … a professional photographer, a well-known photographer … that is not one of their professors,” Moore, coordinator of AACC’s photo program, said. “And so they’re getting opinions that are very sort of fresh and objective and outside of what they would normally have access to.” 

First-year environmental science student Brendan Orlove said his main takeaway from the event was, “I think, for the most part, it was the impact of seeing, … the photos of the border, that was my main thing.”