Behind the lens: Erika Cespedes, artist and educator

Palm Beach State College professor Erika Cespedes knew she wanted to be a photographer at just 5 years old. She photographed everything she could with her Cabbage Patch Kids toy camera, even though it had no film. 

“I thought I was the coolest photographer around the city,” Cespedes said. 

Her first black-and-white dark-room photography class in high school confirmed that photography was her calling. 

After earning a bachelor’s degree in fine art from the Illinois Institute of Art- Chicago and an MFA from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, she began working in commercial photography, shooting images for advertisements. At first, she focused on making money, but over time she recognized the importance of fine art photography and began pursuing more conceptual work. 

Now, Cespedes balances both styles. On the commercial side, she primarily focuses on food photography. Her fine art work transforms her life experiences into symbolic self-portraits set in natural environments. 

Her work has been exhibited nationwide and featured in internationally recognized publications. Most recently, one of her photographs appeared in the Winter 2026 edition of Art & Culture of Palm Beach County magazine, highlighting her Radiographic Art project. For the project, Cespedes collaborated with W. Paul Brown, DDS, a professor in the Division of Clinical Anatomy at Stanford University School of Medicine, to transform CT scans of objects into vivid works of art. 

“When I was five, I never thought my work was going to be published. And now here I am,” Cespedes said. “Little things like this just solidify that what I said at five was definitely meant to be.” 

Teaching is Cespedes’ other passion. She was first introduced to the College when her work was exhibited at the Helen M. Salzberg Gallery on the Palm Beach Gardens campus, and she began teaching photography classes there in fall 2022. Her experience as both a commercial photographer and fine artist informs her work in the classroom, with each role influencing the other and enhancing the student experience. 

In addition to teaching, Cespedes serves as lead curator of the Helen M. Salzberg Gallery, where she showcases artists from the local community and across the country. The exhibit she most looks forward to each year is the Student Art Show, which gives PBSC students a chance to display their work. She believes it is important for professors to support students’ artistic ambitions and help foster the next generation of artists. 

“Professors want to make sure that students succeed, that they’re able to pursue their dreams when they leave us,” Cespedes said. “We are not only professors who help them through classes, but also mentors — people they can come to at any point in the future for guidance.” 

Cespedes hopes to continue creating meaningful work while exploring new styles and techniques she can bring into the classroom. As she expands her artistic practice, she aims to inspire students to experiment, think conceptually and develop their own creative voices.