Hi, My name is Immanuel “Manny” Shorter.

Pasadena Native Immanuel “Manny” Shorter is a photographer and cinematographer who, after losing his own home in the Eaton Fire, recognized the importance of documenting his community’s grief so that viewers are transported into a loss they can’t dismiss. Read More..

Meet Manny Shorter..

Taken at the Phoenix Rising Exhibition

My name is Immanuel "Manny" Shorter. I am a photographer and cinematography born and raised in Pasadena / Altadena California.

My love for taking pictures and videos originated from my love for capturing moments in time. Growing up I was always the friend recording and taking pictures of everything everywhere, and while ai used to get chastised for it, those same images and videos were always asked to be sent out at the end of the day. I unknowingly created a habit of never missing a moment, while still being present. I took photos of my community after the fire was for that same exact reason. Habit. The night of the fire, watching the homes and places i spent my entire around burn was something i'd never felt before, and when I feel things i take photos. A disaster such as this one put a pain in my community that was eased only by us mourning together. While it was tragic, and i would never wish that pain on anyone else, l'd hate even more for people not connected to dena to dismiss that pain.

There was no goal originally, but I am glad I took them as hard as it was. The photos are a captured moment in time and I want everyone that sees them to get transported there. To see the hurt in the scorched pavement, the charred bricks, and the burnt trees. The beautiful homes, people, and atmosphere my community held will never be the same. The feeling I have is hard to describe, but is one I never want to forget.

Hello, I’m Camille Stemmons.

Meet Camille Stemmons

Camille Stemmons is a Pasadena local and photographer devoted to candid, in-the-moment storytelling, and her images from the night of the Eaton Fire at Victory Bible Church, featured in Phoenix Rising, honor a community that, even in tragedy, showed up for one another. Read More..

Hello I’m Camille Stemmons. As a Los Angeles native, I'm drawn to candid, in-the-moment photography, and I'm always looking for the heart of a moment as it happens. The night of the Eaton Fire, at Victory Bible Church, where those who had lost everything and those who hadn't gathered as one, held together by faith and by grace. I didn't photograph that night to look away from the tragedy, but to witness it honestly and preserve the feeling of a community finding light in its darkest hour. The photographs in Phoenix Rising are unposed and unfiltered because that is how the moment was: raw, tender, and full of hope.