Finding the subjects for the series

After laying out the concept for the series, my next question was who would my subjects be? I had just moved to Atlanta, GA and really only knew my roommates at the time and had already photographed them. One of my favorite things about doing these series is the aspect of meeting and connecting with new people who inspire me, so I knew I needed to figure out who these people would be. Sometimes it takes me while to figure out if someone could potentially be a subject of mine, and other times it just clicks the moment I meet them. This has a lot to do with the energy they give off and how this translates over time. They are typically people I feel inspired to be around, whether it’s seeing how they interact , how they uplift and help one another, or how they’ve directly helped me grow as a person and artist. It’s safe to say I don’t use people who put down others, put off a negative energy or intentionally hinder someone else’s growth.

It wasn’t long before I started a new job on the feature film, Black Adam, where I met many of my subjects. I will be forever grateful to be apart of such an incredible art department with so many people who wanted to help one another grow. The first person I connected with was Anne Costa, who was working as an assistant art director at the time. She is now officially an art director and I am so proud of her! We bonded over our shared interest in art and of course, our love of cats! She helped me grow tremendously during that show and I was honored she accepted being one of my models.

My second subject was actually a great friend I had met on a show in New Mexico, Natasha Gerasimova. Natasha is one of the most inspiring and talented people I’ve ever met and who is now working as a production designer!!! She has been such a a tremendous mentor and help in both my career and our friendship. She is someone I have always wanted to photograph but, work kept pulling us in different directions. We just so happened to be working at the same studios during this time, which was incredibly lucky for me! I was honored to be able to photograph someone who inspires me every single day!

My next subject I met on Black Adam was Mari Lappalainen, who was working as an assistant art director at the time. She has also transitioned into working as an art director and I am also so proud of her! She is one of the most genuine people I’ve ever met and is always giving off good energy, no matter how hard the day was. It’s not hard to see why I asked her to be one of my subjects and I am so happy she accepted!

My third subject from that show was Sarah Delucchi, who I had actually met on a previous show, Finch, in New Mexico. Sarah is one of those people you meet and you automatically know they don’t take shit from anyone. Her energy and personality is just all around inspiring to be around. She is tough but is also genuine and always willing to help you grow. Having her as one of my models was such a great addition and I’m so lucky she was!

My fifth subject, Ashley Fogleman, is actually someone I met through a mutual friend who was working on the same lot as me. She was working as an assistant art director on my friends show and I had the pleasure of meeting her outside of work. Ashley is someone I immediately connected with because of her great personality and her genuine care of helping others succeed. Of course I didn’t need any time to ask her to be a subject of mine, she was exactly the type of person I wanted to be apart of my series!

The next subject, was actually someone I had met in Santa Fe, NM. Maggie Eskridge is an incredible writer and actor who I had the pleasure of becoming good friends with during our four years of college together. Maggie is caring, genuine and is someone who has always been happy for and supportive of the people around her. She also came up from Kentucky to be apart of this series! Being able to photograph someone who has inspired me for so long was just incredible and I’m so happy she was apart of this series!

My last subject, who is also one of my longest and dearest friends, was Mareesa Rodriguez. We met a long time ago in Newton Kansas, where we attended the same middle school together. Over the years I’ve had the honor of watching her grow and accomplish so many goals and I’m so proud of her! One of her goals was to be apart of one of my photo series in order to be more accepting and loving of her body. I must say, being apart of such an empowering moment for someone who you love is incredible! What a beautiful honor it was to her have and she came all the way from Kansas!

With all of my subjects chosen, I had to figure out where and how I would shoot each subject! Look to upcoming posts for more information on how I created the series!

With love,

-Carolyn Smith