By Pat KRAMER

Karine Armen, a Glendale schoolteacher and photographer, will present slides of her two recent trips to Ecuador at the Crescenta Valley Group of the Sierra Club’s monthly meeting on Tuesday, March 14 at 7:30 p.m. The event takes place at the La Crescenta Library, 2809 Foothill Boulevard, La Crescenta. Entrance is from the back parking lot.

In March 2016, Armen traveled to the South American nation of Ecuador to document the Good Friday procession in Semana Santa. As a solo traveler, she initially had some fears about traveling alone in South America; however, she found that by making eye contact with her subjects and treating them with respect, she was able to capture many people’s images through the lens of her camera. It is this connection, between photographer and subject, which makes her presentation so special.

While visiting the country in March, she also visited Otavalo and documented the presidential flag salute, a weekly ceremony at the capital in Quito. She returned in June for a five-week stay where she visited the town of Cuenca, where she learned about the local culture. One of the highlights of her trip was her visit to El Cajas National Park. She will share her experiences there and with her host families on the different subcultures that exist in the places she visited.

Always on the go in search of the new, the unique, and the different, Armen has traveled around the world from China and Japan to Spain and Armenia. In each, she learned the local culture and language, which helped her to realistically document what she sees.

In June, she will be spending a month in Armenia followed by a month in Italy. Armen’s first trip to Armenia was as a mental health counselor, working with the earthquake survivors of Gyumri in March 1990. This experience impressed and touched her, seeing the people’s hopefulness to continue their lives with dignity.

Armen holds an M.A. in education administration and a B.A. in photography and social work. For more information, contact Karine Armen at photokarine@hotmail.com.

  Pat KRAMER