OTHELLO – When she catches a glimpse of her daughter’s work on TV, Dora Vargas doesn’t see the bright lights or the awards.
She remembers a 14-year-old girl with big ideas, asking her to hold a camera light steady while her daughter photographed her classmates’ senior portraits around the rural town of Othello.
“Sometimes I feel like I’m in a dream,” Vargas said. “Things pop up about her, and I’m like, ‘Oh my God, this is really my daughter. This is her. This is my kid.’ ”
Now 31 years old, Bethany Vargas, a Latina photographer and director born and raised in Othello, has become a creative force behind some of pop culture’s biggest visuals. This includes Grammy-nominated indie pop band the Marías’ album cover for “Submarine.” They are most known for their songs “Heavy” and “Run Your Mouth.”
She also directed a music video for Grammy-winning singer Kali Uchis for her 2023 hit “Te Mata.”
Most recently, she gained global recognition after directing Gap’s “Back to Denim” campaign with the rising international girl group KATSEYE – a spot that dominated social media and has gained 31 million views on YouTube after Spokane’s very own Sydney Sweeney’s denim ad for American Eagle sparked backlash.
“I knew it would do good, but I had no clue that it would do what it did. It was crazy to see the internet and the support and the love,” Bethany Vargas, said.
The Gap ad was meant to capture the importance of individuality and the beauty of all cultures. With KATSEYE being a six-member group from multiple cultural backgrounds – like India, Cuba and South Korea – Gap stated in a news release they were the perfect fit of individualism and self-expression for their denim campaign.
Bethany Vargas said she and her team built the set from the ground up without screens or digital effects, designing walls that moved on hydraulic systems so everything could operate with the press of a button.
Bethany Vargas credited the set designer as key in turning her vision into reality.
“And then going to the rehearsals and watching (KATSEYE) do their thing and how quickly they learned the choreo was insane, and working with Robbie Blue, the choreographer, was incredible and lovely to work with,” she added.
Bethany Vargas also earned an MTV Video Music Award earlier this month for best direction after co-directing Lady Gaga’s music video for “Abracadabra,” which has already amassed more than 192 million views on YouTube.
It’s a moment, she said, that’s still surreal to her.
According to the 2022 Latino Donor Collaborative’s Latinos in Media Report, 1.3% of Latinos are directors for TV, while 2.6% are directors for films, despite Latinos making up nearly 20% of the U.S. population.
“I grew up watching the VMAs all the time as a teenager. If I told my younger self, like, ‘Oh, you’re going to be here and you’re going to be working on these projects.’ I would be like, ‘What?’ ” Bethany Vargas said.
Dora Vargas said her daughter, who attended Othello High School and is the middle child of three, would always carry around a tiny digital point-and-shoot Kodak camera, scouting for the best places to take portraits.
“She always wanted her pictures to stand out, so we would take drives out and she would always scope out her spaces,” Dora Vargas said.
“Then after each shoot, she’d go home to Photoshop, do the coloring and everything. When they were ready, she would invite the student and their family over, and whoever wanted to come along, to watch a slideshow of the finished pictures,” she continued.
Bethany Vargas recalls scrolling through MySpace and Facebook, fascinated by the creatively edited photos she found there – which she said initially sparked her interest in photography.
“I also just initially had an interest in fashion magazines. Growing up, I always begged my mom to buy them for me, and I would cut them out and put them on my wall so I was always looking at the inspiration,” Bethany Vargas said.
She added that her older brother’s interests in music also were a big influence on her style and cultural creativity. She reflected on growing up in an era before the internet and computers were deeply woven into everyday life, which encouraged her imagination and led her to spend much of her time outdoors, exploring nature.
“There was a lot of room to explore and play, because there’s not a lot to do there. So I think your imagination is automatically heightened, but I think my mom definitely was the forefront influence on that. She always tried to put me in craft classes or initiated creative ideas or things for us to do,” Bethany Vargas said.
By the time Bethany Vargas graduated from high school in 2012, she was set on a career in photography and enrolled at Seattle Central Creative Academy to hone her craft.
After she graduated, Bethany Vargas said she moved to Los Angeles on her own, where her career took off and eventually led her into the world of directing six years ago.
“I didn’t go to film school, so it kind of just happened backwards and by accident,” Bethany Vargas said. “I briefly directed and photographed for a little bit, and I was kind of doing everything, like a one-man band. Then I was like, ‘No, I just want to direct.’ ”
Her process is intensely collaborative and “very intuitive.” She said she builds from scratch and slowly picks different elements that will form into the main visual for the project.
Once they’ve figured that out, she and her team work through a storyline so that the client or artist know where the cameras will be placed and what the shots will look like.
“It’s definitely a case-by-case basis, and it really depends on the project and who I’m working with, but I’d like to say it’s very intuitive. I try to channel who I’m working with, or the subject that’s super important. If it’s for a client in collaboration with an artist or talent, it’s finding that right intuitive balance of showcasing the talent, but making it very aligned with the brand, and also adding that extra little, like, spice to it,” Bethany Vargas said.
Dora Vargas said it was her daughter’s unwavering self-determination that pushed her to break into spaces where Latinas are rarely seen.
“She always would tell me I need to try it, because I don’t want to reach my older years in life and think back about what could have been,” Dora Vargas said.
When the Gap “Back to Denim” ad finally aired, Dora Vargas said she watched it repeatedly, amazed at her daughter’s work.
“I remember telling her, I just don’t understand what it all means, it’s just so complex to me. It’s so difficult for me to visualize what goes into it,” Dora Vargas said.
She also recalled the moment her daughter called to share the news that she had won VMA’s Best Direction, unable to believe it herself.
“I get goosebumps talking about it. I mean, I was literally screaming in my living room,” Dora Vargas said.
Bethany Vargas said her mom’s encouragement fueled her creativity, helping her believe in her vision and take risks. She hopes other Latinas across the country will embrace their own visions, even when it feels like no one is watching.
“Growing up in a small town, it was easy to feel like opportunities were far away or out of reach, but what I’ve learned is that curiosity, consistency and believing in your perspective are everything,” Bethany Vargas said. “Embrace your background, because it’s your unique story that gives you your unique power.”
