Dan Herrera is a Sacramento-based imagemaker and educator whose work explores the intersections of historical photographic processes, contemporary storytelling, and materiality. Grounded in alternative photography, his interdisciplinary studio practice merges narrative and research with intentional methodologies—including lumens, cyanotypes, anthotypes, and gum bichromate. His images emphasize physicality, challenging the constraints of digital screens and embracing sustainable, tactile approaches to photographic expression. At its core, his work is a continuous exploration of photographic transformation—blurring the line between past and present, analog and digital, ephemeral and enduring. Through this, he seeks to create images that do more than capture; they engage, question, and honor the landscapes and histories that shape them.
Dan’s artistic practice and community-based collaborations examine identity, place, and the histories embedded within photographic materials. His recent project, funded by The National Endowment for the Arts and The City of Sacramento, explores the connection between land and cultural memory through sustainably crafted prints made with plant-based materials and discarded silver gelatin paper. Developed through archival research and dialogue with tribal council members of The Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, this work employs techniques rooted in respect and reciprocity with the land. By embedding the landscape directly into the photographic process, the series unveils a more holistic perspective of place, inviting viewers to reconsider their relationship to the land and the materials that shape visual storytelling.
His broader collaborative work includes projects with the University of California 4-H (UC 4-H) youth development program, where he co-produces educational video content focused on food security. As a practicing artist, his scholarship has led to invited lectures at institutions such as the University of Pittsburgh (2014), where he presented on narrative and historical processes; the Society for Photographic Education (2019), where he delivered a research-based lecture on internet memes as a vehicle for social justice; and Princeton University (2023), where he explored sustainable photographic processes as a tool for storytelling.
Dan’s work has been nationally recognized in publications such as The Book of Alternative Photographic Processes (3rd Edition, 2015) and Light & Lens: Photography in the Digital Age (3rd Edition, 2018). His exhibitions have appeared at SOHO Photo in New York, the Los Angeles Center for Digital Art, and the de Young Museum in San Francisco, with a solo show at the Marin Museum of Contemporary Art. His commercial photography portfolio includes editorial work for Juxtapoz Magazine, Sacramento Magazine, and high-profile clients such as Vicious Vanity F/X, Oak Park Brewing Company, and Marky Ramone of The Ramones.
As a lecturer in the California State University system, Dan teaches a wide range of courses in analog, alternative process, and commercial photography. He encourages students to see photography as both an expressive and investigative tool—one that extends beyond documentation into realms of experimentation and conceptual depth. Whether in the darkroom or the digital lab, he strives to cultivate a space where process and intention are equally valued, allowing for technical mastery and artistic discovery to coexist. His dedication to photographic education extends beyond academia, facilitating workshops that emphasize mindful looking, the action of light, and sustainable image-making practices. Through peer-teaching collaborations and hands-on demonstrations, he promotes accessible, low-tech methods such as photograms, cyanotypes, and experimental plant-based printing techniques—empowering others to explore photography as both an artistic and conceptual medium.