Community rallies to assist photographer in wake of theft of his camera equipment

Everyone who knows Christopher Paul Cardoza will attest that his Nikon D500 camera is an extension of his body. Seldom seen without it trained to his eye, Cardoza has gained acclaim for showing the diverse and complex beauty of the people and landscapes of San Marcos.

On Sunday, after a weekend of shooting two weddings and a concert, Cardoza was running errands around San Marcos when his camera was stolen from his car.

“Usually, I put the camera behind the seat,” Cardoza said. “I had come from an event and stopped at a gas station … I got out, went inside, got gas. I only turned around for a second. That’s when it must have happened.”

After filing a police report for the stolen camera, his bag and his equipment, Cardoza admitted feeling hopeless that someone would take something that was so vital to him.

“I love what I do so much. I carry that camera around with me 24/7. So I went into a real dark slump,” Cardoza said. “I went on Facebook and posted, ‘To the person that stole my camera gear: There’s a special place in Hell for people like you.’” Cardoza didn’t stay down for long. He had events with friends in the barbecue community in Austin that he decided to attend. Word spread Facebook and in person among Cardoza’s friends with calls of action and support. Then, Kyle Stallings of Rollin Smoke Barbecue in Austin started a GoFundMe page to help raise money to replace Cardoza’s stolen equipment.

“It moved me to absolute tears,” Cardoza said. “Good tears.”

Stallings said that upon starting the GoFundMe page, he felt confident the community would step up to support Cardoza.

“I just want my friend to wake up and realize how much we love him,” he said. “I didn’t think it would be hard because I know the community will come together for him. He does so much for us.”

By midnight on Monday, March 28, the GoFundMe had already raised $9,000 toward its $10,000 goal and by Tuesday, March 29, it had surpassed its mark. As of time of press, the total is $11,165, demonstrating the impact that Cardoza has made in this community through his photography.

“It wasn’t just money, either,” Cardoza said. “People offered me cameras.” With a Sony camera borrowed from a friend, Cardoza was able to complete events he had lined up during the week while waiting for the funds to replace his stolen equipment.

In fact, Cardoza said it was the events that meant more to him in the end than his stolen camera. The images for the two weddings and the concert he shot over the weekend were still on the memory card inside the camera.

“It’s not so much the loss of the equipment that gets me,” Cardoza said. “I’m saddened for the loss of other people’s memories.”

As a documentarian, Cardoza has helped build a community by chronicling the lives and memories of his fellow San Marcans. While the theft of his camera was a grave loss, the community’s overwhelming response granted him an insightful perspective.

“When I thought about the post I made I realized, I was once that guy,” Cardoza said. “It’s no secret I’ve been 13 years sober, and I was that guy one time. The guy who would break into a car to get money for booze. Now there are a lot of good things that I’ve done. I’ve come a long way. I’m on the other side, and I found a community who accepted me for who I was. I learned the true definition of a community through San Marcos.”

To contribute to Christopher Paul Cardoza’s GoFundMe page, visit gofund. me/12d2ed3b.