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Photos taken by Jackson Hole and Wind River Reservation youth from their time training with pros are on display the next three weeks at the National Museum of Wildlife Art . The assignment was to capture what it means to be young in Wyoming.
Jackson Darin, a 16-year-old junior at Jackson Hole High, was able to view photos he took while participating in the camp in 2023 at the opening of the gallery on Oct. 18.
“Being here, it feels like I’m revisiting a fond memory,” he said. “It was just nice to see it again and live it again.”
During the camp, kids learn photography skills by National Geographic photographers and are encouraged to connect with their community by capturing the world around them.
Jackson Darin, a 16-year-old Jackson Hole High School student, stands next to a photo he took during the 2023 National Geographic photo camp in Jackson. (Dante Filpula Ankney / KHOL)
Darin said he took landscape photos of gleaming aspens which was fun, but his main takeaway was connecting with students living on the Wind River Reservation.
“It was just super cool,” Darin said, “learning about them and the adversity they face on the reservation and just being able to bond and grow connection.”
National Geographic Explorer Sophia Jaramillo was Darin’s instructor.
“So these are photos, a selection of photos from all the kids highlighting their community and what community means to them,” she said.
Jaramillo said most participants were Northern Arapaho, Eastern Shoshone and Latinx youth.
“It feels very full circle for me because as a young Latina I wish I would have had the chance to do it,” Jaramillo said.
Photos taken during the camp are on display at the National Museum of Wildlife Art, through November 17, then will move to the Wind River Reservation.
