Camp Rambynas

St. Casimir’s Parish in Los Angeles is home to many groups including the Lithuanian Scouts Association. Every summer, these scouts travel to Camp Rambynas, located in Holcomb Valley at an altitude of 7,000ft, just outside of Big Bear Lake in the San Gabriel Mountains in Southern California. The camp typically includes approximately 100 scouts and a team of parent volunteers that live among the pines in tents for ten days. 

 

As an artist in residence, my goal was to capture the spirit of this place to include in my series St. Casimir’s Parish. A small storage area was converted into a temporary darkroom and approximately 40 glass plate negatives were developed. Subjects were challenged to hold their poses with long exposure times that ranged between 10–45 seconds. Some scouts could “freeze” for the duration, however, many excited children could not. The scouts meet regularly in the city and the plan is to continue to document their ceremonies and to take formal individual and group portraits whenever possible.