My name is Kirgan Hopkins. I am a photographer, art director, and filmmaker based in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica. I grew up in Texas and picked up a film camera for the first time at seventeen. My camera inspired me to chase light and taught me how sun, shadow, and environment can shape the way a moment feels. That instinct carries through everything I create today. Natural light isn't just a tool, it's a thread that connects my past to t I capture.

I spent my twenties traveling the world and that's when everything shifted. Shooting on film while experiencing exotic countries and cultures felt like nothing else. With film there is the excitement and anticipation of not knowing exactly what you have until you develop the roll. It's not just about taking a photo. There's an entire experience hiding within the process. Shooting, waiting, developing… it all carries an energy that charges the final image. Then, like a time traveler, the photo transports me back to the moment I captured each image. That's what I want people to feel… the journey, the authenticity, the essence of a single moment in time captured forever on film.

This feeling is why I shoot in black and white. While life is full of color, I find shooting in black and white actually helps bring an image to life. Every detail matters—composition, light, texture, contrast—everything must be intentional.

And when it comes to cyanotype printing, even if the original negative is the same, sunlight and chemistry unite to create unique exposures of the same image every single time. Similar to surfing, printing is like riding a wave. You have control of your actions, but you're still dancing with Mother Nature and therefore always at the mercy of the moment and the elements.

That tension between control and surrender is at the heart of what I do. And I wouldn't want it any other way…

Never hesitate to start a conversation. Feel free to reach out via the contact form below.