Photo of the Month · September 2026
Eight artists. One winning photograph.
Meet Deb Carrillo and the photograph our community chose for September.
September winner
Meet September’s Photo of the Month.
You showed up for September’s Photo of the Month, and we loved watching our community rally behind the artists creating inside the studio.
Eight artists submitted photographs made at Buena, and after the public vote, one image stood out. Deb’s photograph earned the most votes from our community. The winner was announced on September 26.
September’s Photo of the Month is Beauty in the battle by San Antonio photographer Deb Carrillo, also known as @deb.carrillo.photography_.
“Beauty is not only in the way women look, but in the strength, discipline, and courage they carry within. It represents femininity, resilience, and the fighter within every woman—strong, determined, and never willing to give up.”
— Deb Carrillo, from her Photo of the Month submission
Congratulations, Deb, on becoming Buena Vista Studio’s September Photo of the Month winner.
September 2026 · Photo of the Month
Deb Carrillo
She made the image at Buena on September 3, 2026.
Deb Carrillo is a San Antonio photographer who documents love with intention. Her work is timeless, honest moments, in Texas and wherever her clients take her. She photographs the seasons people want to hold on to: family sessions, fall and Christmas sessions, newborn-inspired portraits, and birthdays. A mom herself, she brings a warm, emotional eye to her clients' memories, and she's currently booking for 2026 and 2027.
See more of Deb’s work at @deb.carrillo.photography_.
The winning photograph, in print.
Beauty in the battle was displayed as a 24-by-36-inch pigment print in the hallway outside Buena Vista Studio during October 2026, where it remained until the next Photo of the Month winner was announced.
The display gave visitors the opportunity to experience Deb’s photograph at full scale while learning more about the artist behind the work.
After its time on display, the print became Deb’s to keep.
Visibility for every artist.
Photo of the Month is about more than one winning image. Every artist who submitted in September had their work introduced to the Buena Vista Studio community during the voting period, and every introduction has the potential to grow an artist’s network.
July’s Photo of the Month promotion generated more than 10,000 impressions across social media, and that response showed what can happen when artists and their communities share the work.
The September voting post brought that visibility to all eight photographers, drawing 10,265 views (7,936 from non-followers, 77.31%, and 2,329 from followers), along with 7,089 impressions, 429 comments, 325 shares, 138 likes, and 22 reposts. Even the photographers who did not win most likely gained an admirer of their work and a potential client, since more than three-quarters of the views came from people who do not follow the studio yet.
Artists introduced
Winning photograph featured in print
Complimentary studio hours for the winner
Deb also receives two complimentary studio hours and this dedicated feature, along with a website and social spotlight and an artist placard with a QR code linking to her Instagram beside the print.
More than a competition.
Photo of the Month gives photographers another way to place their work in front of new audiences, connect with local creatives, and become part of the story being built inside Buena Vista Studio.
Photo of the Month is open to photographs created at Buena Vista Studio within the previous 60 days. If you created something at Buena that deserves a closer look, we would love to see it.
Submit your photograph →