Noemi Ponce (b. 2004, Chicago, IL) is a Mexican-American analog and digital photographer based in Chicago, IL. Her work explores her relationship and ties to the Latin American diaspora that connects across borders. In over eight years of photographing her dad, brother, friends and spaces in her surroundings, Ponce creates portraits that render identity, skin and place in a physical form that transcends the gap between the audience and the subject. By mainly photographing in black and white, Ponce is able to use the contrast and midtones to intensify the beauty of a person’s skin. As a result, the viewer is drawn to the subjects’ gaze, features and encouraged to find connections among her photos in ways that color photographs do not always allow.

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Ponce draws inspiration from contemporary photographers such as Richard Avedon, Gordon Parks, Andre D. Wagner and LaToya Ruby Frazier. Recently, she has been exploring alternative photographic techniques such as cyanotypes, anthotypes, and SolarFast. She has experimented printing on watercolor paper and cotton cloth using different colors (sepia, orange, red, etc.) and natural toners, such as turmeric, black tea, red wine and bicarbonate. Ponce hopes to further her practice through a more hands-on approach by printing images on different objects and surfaces.

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Ponce is a recent graduate of Middlebury College where she majored in International and Global Studies: Latin American Studies and minored in Studio Art. She currently works as a summer intern at the Art Institute of Chicago's Ryan Learning Center. 

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Ponce’s Spring 2025 Studio Art Thesis is currently on display in the President's Dining Room at Middlebury College.​