Biography

Her name reveals a heritage that has influenced fine art image making for over a century.

Born January 28, 1957 photographer Cara Weston continues to live and work in the community of Carmel, California – a landscape that has inspired her parents, Cole Weston and Helen Prosser Weston, uncle Brett Weston and grandfather Edward Weston – recognized as leading visionaries in modern photography.

Cara and Cole — Cara and her father Cole

Having worked and studied with father Cole and uncle Brett, as well as photographer Rod Dresser, assistant to Ansel Adams, Cara walks the path of her heritage, creating a body of work that respects artistic tradition, while also creating her own eloquent voice within the Weston family.

Cara says about her heritage and how it has influenced her own work: “More than anything, there is a shared predisposition of spirit; to see the world with a sense of wonder and a drive to distill its essences of light and shadow into a moment that is transformed into a collective experience – one that transcends its fleeting nature to become eternal. The desire for peace that exists in each of our hearts can find refuge in the beauty captured by my family’s images and you can stand as more than an observer, but also, like I have, as an artist whose own creativity is refreshed and inspired by it - I am grateful for their lessons.”

Cole Weston

Cara Weston’s photographs are heralds that sing the divine feminine in our world, capturing the elegance and power of nature with ephemeral sublime characteristics, with compositions and more subtle gradations of tones that celebrate, as her grandfather would say “The essence of the thing itself.” Cara’s body of work provides a balance to the long-dominating masculine eye that has been forever thought of as the only interpretation of the Weston vision.

In addition to her work as a photographer, Cara is the former director of the internationally renowned Weston Gallery in Carmel. As director she curated shows that included exhibitions for luminaries such as Yousuf Karsh, Ansel Adams, Michael Kenna and of course Edward, Cole and Brett Weston. In addition to gallery exhibitions, Cara has curated several shows in Los Angeles and New York that have featured the best works of today’s fine art photographers.

Cara is also the proud mother of two wonderful daughters and two grandchildren. She considers being a mother her greatest accomplishment in life.

Cara Weston’s work is available to view on her website – carawestonphotography.com – and has been in numerous exhibits and collections. She is also represented by the Weston Gallery, Lumiere Gallery, Scott Nichols Gallery, Jeff Appel Photographs, and The Stephen Hoffman Gallery in Germany.

Memorable exhibitions include:

“St Moritz Art Masters” St Moritz, Switzerland, 2010

"Mirrors of the Magic Muse" Monte Carlo, Monaco, 2010

“West Coast Spirit” Stephan Hoffman Gallery - Munich, Germany, 2011

“Ansel Adams: before and AFTER” Booth Western Art Museum, Atlanta, 2015

“The Westons” Scott Nichols Gallery, 2016

“The Weston Legacy” Lumiere Gallery, 2017

“Edward, Brett, Cole and Cara , The Weston Photographers” Brescia Museum, Italy 2022

In addition, a Special Edition photograph (47 x 74 inches) is on permanent display with the Norwegian Cruise Line.