Trash That Dress

A bright red pop of color fanning out against the blue ocean is the first thing that catches your eye. The second, is a girl dressed to the nines in a beautiful gown—that is getting soaking wet in the salty ocean. And that is only the beginning. 

Watsonville-based Carlos Garcia began "Trash the Quinceañera Dress" photo shoots three years ago, and he's carved himself a most interesting niche in fashion photography. The images Garcia captures are impossible to stop looking at. Taken out of context, there is just something very intriguing about a formal indoor gown against a natural backdrop. Plus, the girls look like they are having the time of their lives.

"We drive around Watsonville or Santa Cruz and decide where. It could be a sidewalk or an old fence... they let me do what I want to do and that's the most important part, because I have freedom to be artistic," says Garcia.

Invariably, the shoots often end up at the beach—and more often than not, in the surf. And not just the hem, the entire dress. Sopping wet and covered in sand. Ironically, there couldn't be anything more beautiful.

"I always tell them 'expect the unexpected' because it always happens like that," says Garcia, pointing to the frozen splash of a wave just before it washed over a girl's head. 

The quinceañera is a coming-of-age party celebrated in many Latin American cultures—and often in Watsonville, where the majority of the community is Latino—to mark a girl's 15th birthday. The birthday girl typically wears an elegant evening gown.

The vibrant colors and soft textures of the quince dress provide a world of possibilities when contrasted with the grit and funk of nature, and Garcia says the shoots are almost always outside, where clients are more comfortable and where things get interesting. The backdrops in his photos include everything from railroad tracks and rusty boxcars to open meadows, brick walls and wet sand. Props like suitcases and guitars are sometimes used too, which add a dimension of mystery to the scene.

Garcia, who has A.A. Degrees in both Photography and Multimedia Technology, began taking photos at age 15. He believes it's the photographer—not the camera—that captures the shot. On his website, he writes, "A key moment that went away cannot be recreated." It's "that fraction of a second where thoughts and secrets are communicated in the spark of his client's eyes" that is the perfect moment he says he is always looking for when the shutter clicks.

When it comes to fashion photography, the key is getting the model to relax in front of the camera, and Garcia says having fun is the key.

"People trust me, people know me when they come here, they already know who I am, and I tell them we're going to have fun, we're gonna laugh, just enjoy it," he said. "I think because we are doing something really different, it's a lot more relaxed—even me," said Garcia. 

What he really means is that these shoots are a diversion for him, and a lot less stressful than weddings.

"If you miss the kiss I mean, they are going to kill you!" jokes Garcia. But really... he could be right. 

You can learn more about Carlos Garcia on his Trash the Quince Blog or on his Carlos Garcia Photography and Video Facebook page.