Through Light and Learning
At the SPE conference, attendees engage in portfolio reviews; the work in the foreground belongs to Lazarus.
Reno, Nevada—neon lights, desert wind, and a gathering of the nation’s most passionate photographers. Amid the buzz of this year’s Society for Photographic Education (SPE) National Conference, three artists from the ˛ĘÉńixąŮÍř stepped into the spotlight—each on their own path, but united by a shared sense of purpose.
Assistant Professor J. Jason Lazarus served as a portfolio reviewer, guiding emerging artists through critique and conversation. BFA student David McCain, armed with experimental prints and a thirst for feedback, arrived thanks to an URSA travel award. And recent MFA graduate Miles Jordan returned not as a student, but as a speaker—presenting his thesis work, "504–907," to a national audience.
Their roles and stories are distinct, but their journeys share a throughline: transformation. In an era defined by upheaval, their work embodies the very theme of this year’s SPE conference—Adaptation—through experimentation, dialogue, and deep engagement with place and process.
J. Jason Lazarus: The Educator as Collaborator
Lazarus is no stranger to the national stage. With years of experience and an experimental, hands-on approach to alternative photographic processes, Lazarus attended SPE through a UNAC Faculty Development award. This year, he took on a new role: official portfolio reviewer.
His 90-minute review session organically expanded to nearly eight hours, thanks to a flood of eager students drawn to his specialization in mordançage. “I was head over heels that people knew my work by my name,” he said. “But the experience of sharing our love for analog and darkroom photography was what really was exciting."
Lazarus describes this interaction as full-circle. Once the emerging artist seeking critique, he now finds himself on the other side of the table—though he approaches the exchange as a mutual learning experience. “I’ve never thought that much separates the well-known photographers out there and a brand-new student,” he explained. “All photographers are artists that don’t get recognized enough and don’t get told that their work is inspirational enough.”
Beyond the joy of connecting with like-minded creatives, Lazarus sees these conferences as vital fuel for his work as an educator. He brings home “half a museum” worth of inspiration, broadening the tools he uses to support students whose work may challenge his own expertise. “I feel a lot more confident in discussing these type of projects with emerging photographers and artists,” he said, “as well as more capable of directing them to mentors.”
For Lazarus, conferences like SPE exemplify the power of experiential learning—the kind that extends far beyond the classroom. He still remembers his first SPE in Las Vegas, feeling overwhelmed and knowing almost no one. But by stepping outside his comfort zone, raising his hand in sessions, and coming prepared with his portfolio, he made a professional connection that led to his first out-of-state solo exhibition. “Had I not asked a very detailed question... an instructor from a Southern California university wouldn’t have connected with me afterwards,” he said. That moment reaffirmed for him—and now for his students—that real-world opportunities often come from simply showing up, being ready, and staying open. Conferences like SPE aren’t just about showcasing work; they’re spaces where learning happens through doing, reflecting, and risking growth.
David McCain: Finding Voice Through Process
For David McCain, a newly admitted BFA photography student at UAF, SPE was more than a conference—it was a clarifying experience. With URSA funding in hand, McCain ventured beyond ˛ĘÉńixąŮÍř to share his work in alternative photographic processes and meet photographers from across the country and beyond.
“At the conference, I was exposed to the work of so many talented artists, but at the same time there was not a lot of alternative process representation amongst their portfolios,” he said. “This realization has motivated me... to continue down this experimental path whether it is popular with the mainstream community or not.”
McCain’s work blurs the boundaries between photography, painting, and natural materials. His current focus, Cyanolumens, blends photographic chemistry with organic matter to comment on pollinator conservation and environmental interconnectedness. Through portfolio reviews, including a conversation with Professor Andrea Frank of SUNY New Paltz, McCain found both creative affirmation and new techniques—like crafting pigments from botanicals and using beeswax as a resist.
The travel award from URSA didn’t just get him to Reno—it launched him into a growing global network of artists. He attended a pinhole camera workshop with Martin Vanners of the Netherlands and discussed Japanese art history over breakfast with author Ivan Vartanian. “Moving forward,” he said, “I plan to utilize my expanding network to reach my target audience while implementing the feedback from my portfolio reviews into my future work.”
McCain is currently developing a body of work for a future thesis show, expected in Spring 2027, with a focus on cameraless processes that reflect the alchemical intersections of science and art. “Photography has always fascinated me,” he explained, “because this medium blends the trial-and-error troubleshooting procedures found within the sciences with the creative spirit of the arts.” His path to UAF’s BFA program was sparked by a single course—“I chose to pursue my BFA in the dark arts after Professor Lazarus introduced me to the alchemical anarchy of the alternative photographic processes in the summer of 2024.” That sense of controlled chaos continues to drive his experimentation, pushing the boundaries of what photography can be.
Miles Jordan: Bridging Place and Memory
For Miles Jordan, the invitation to present his MFA thesis work "504–907" at SPE was an opportunity to explore the personal and political through place. A 2023 UAF graduate and current PhD student in Anthropology at LSU, Jordan uses infrared and color photography to examine environmental and cultural transformation in post-Katrina New Orleans and a warming Alaska—two places he deeply loves and calls home. His work invites viewers to see past difference, highlighting shared vulnerability in the face of ecological and social change. “While not inherently a political body of work, my work is politically informed,” he said. “We have seemingly lost that people are not so different.” "504–907" has been shown across the country, resonating with diverse audiences through its message: what affects one place, ultimately affects us all.
“It was amazing,” he said. “Being able to speak of both places and show people the similarities visually was a great honor. My goal is always to introduce to people that our differences are not so different.”
"504–907" has been shown in solo and group exhibitions across the country and was recently featured in Oxford American magazine. The day the article went live, Jordan was photographing his father on the main stage at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. “My Mom sent me a text telling me my work was in Oxford American. So it was an awesome surprise that meant a lot that day.”
That moment—capturing his father’s performance while receiving national recognition for his own work—reflects the deeper legacy Jordan carries. “I’m a second-generation artist,” he explained. “I understand that being an artist requires a vulnerability and authenticity that most jobs do not require.” Watching his father speak openly and confidently about his music gave Jordan a model for how to present his own work with clarity and self-assurance. “The pressure disappears,” he said. “I know I worked hard to make this work as good as I can... so I just get after it and speak openly.”
Jordan also credits UAF mentors J. Jason Lazarus and Charles Mason for helping him learn how to articulate his work. “I had no historical context to my work, and without Charles I would not have known of William Eggleston or William Christenberry or these other photographers that I can inform my work within.” He adds that his thesis committee—including Dr. Zoe Jones and Da-ka-xeen Mehner—played a significant role in shaping his MFA experience, helping him sharpen both the conceptual and technical aspects of his practice.
Now blending fine art photography with visual anthropology, Jordan continues to explore cultural memory, environmental fragility, and visual storytelling through both academic and creative channels.
A Shared Lens on Growth
From McCain’s experimental cyanotypes to Jordan’s place-based storytelling and Lazarus’ alternative process mentorship, all three photographers returned from SPE with more than just connections—they brought back clarity, community, and conviction.
At its core, the SPE conference celebrates what these UAF artists already practice: using photography to ask deeper questions, engage with evolving landscapes (both literal and metaphorical), and find kinship across boundaries. Whether in a portfolio review room, on a gallery wall, or in a classroom in ˛ĘÉńixąŮÍř, their work reflects what it means to adapt with purpose.