Not long ago, one of Lara Kaurâs hard-drives was destroyed and she lost years of her digital photo work. To recover the data, she asked her community for support and with their donations she was able to more than cover her costs. As a token of appreciation, she started the Community Portrait Pop-Up where she takes high quality portrait photographs for free.
The event has grown since it first started in early 2019 and occurs monthly, when the weather permits. Now itâs a gathering place for Oakland movers and shakers, where you can run into a gang of friends and meet artists, entrepreneurs and families. You can buy colorful jewelry, vegan tacos and dance to live DJ sets. But at the center of the event, itâs still all about the portraits– and when itâs your turn, people will cheer for you as you sit in front of Kaurâs lens.
Lara Kaur taking people’s photos at her free community portrait pop event. (Pendarvis Harshaw/KQED)
These simple portraits go a long way. The pics are foundational for entrepreneurs as they start their businesses, and Kaurâs photographs of families help create important momentos for those who have a hard time finding funds for traditional portraits.
After attending one of Laraâs events, I met with her at her house in West Oakland and we discussed the power of photography and the importance of community over a couple of mugs of Chai. As we finished our drinks, I asked her about her favorite photograph: she showed me an image from her grandparentsâ wedding in Punjab. After seeing Laraâs work for some time, all it took was one image to understand why photography is her tool: these images preserve culture and help to build community.
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