Meet Carla Gilmore

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Carla Gilmore a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Carla, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.

It all started in July 2015. I was on a family vacation in Fort Myers, Florida and it was the last day on the trip before heading home. After dinner, my family and I shopped for souvenirs as well as walked along the pier. At the pier, there was a view of the gulf which I thought was a pretty sight. I pulled out my iPod touch and took a photo of it and I was moved by it. I remember looking at the picture in awe for a minutes afterwards and found it very calming and even a bit melancholic due to the overcast. This one picture I took on a family vacation began to spark my interest in photography. At this time, I was really into landscape photography because I loved taking in the sight of places around me (and I still do).

After coming home from the trip, I would begin to take pictures of the sunsets, flowers, the park, and more. The high school I attended is a fine arts magnet school. I remember auditioning for visual arts department in hopes of improving on my photography. I got rejected from the program which lead me to feel discouraged in pursuing photography. I even stopped taking random photos because of it. Being rejected did affect my self-esteem, which was already very low during my adolescence and I let go of the idea of one day being a photographer. I took a variety of electives in high school such as drama, graphic arts, and film which I enjoyed. I did develop a deep love of film due to watching a bunch of movies and taking the class in high school which resulted in me majoring in film when I started college in 2021.

My interest in photography sparked back up in college. I did consider changing my major to photography my freshman year but I worried that I would face the same rejection I experienced in high school and decided not to. I also attended a couple of meetings that the photography org at my school put together however I was not consistent with it and at the time my focus was more on film-related stuff. As a film major at my school, I was required to have a minor. After talking to my counselor and doing my own research, I decided to minor in art as it would allow me to take photography classes.

Before I could partake in the photography classes, I had to take prerequisite art courses which were challenging at times but really fun. In the fall of 2023, which was my junior year in college, I took an intro to photography class. The first project required my classmates and I to take a photo that incorporated a shallow depth of field, deep depth of field, high ISO, low ISO, fast shutter speed, and slow shutter speed. To be honest, I had no idea what I was doing exactly but I decided to play around with the camera and learn as I go. For this project, I made a story post asking if anyone would be interested in participating and one person volunteered. I went in with the intentions of going with the flow and seeing how it turned out. We started taking some photos at the green space on campus and later moved to this parking garage that ended up being a cool setting for the photos. When I began editing the photos at my dorm that night, I was really impressed with the outcome of the photos. I loved how expressive my mutual was with his clothes and his poses. This photoshoot led me to be interested in portrait photography.

This particular photoshoot led me to start carrationz because I saw my potential and wanted to do more of this. I posted a few photos I took during my intro class and fell inactive in the beginning of 2024 due to still being in college. I also found out I was on track to graduate a semester early and put in a lot of work in order to finish by December 2024. During my one month break from school in May that year, I did work on making branding stuff for my business because I wanted to take this seriously, I also did a few photoshoots throughout the year for family and friends however it wasn’t something I was doing consistently. So growing my brand was put to the side for a while.

I finally graduate from college and began starting the next season of my life. In early 2025, I applied for several jobs that were film related however with the job market being in the state it’s in, I did not find luck in securing a job. I remember one of my co-workers mentioned that her friends wanted to take graduation photos for the spring and that’s when I volunteered to take them. Taking the graduation photos reminded me of my passion for photography and I began to focus on building my brand. I also narrowed my niche down and solely wanted to focus on creative portrait photography especially as someone who loves to express themselves and loves for others to do so freely. I promoted a free photoshoot opportunity last summer and was able to take portrait photos of familiar and new faces. I also did a photoshoot with a friend that was summer themed to get some more practice in and to finally bring an idea I had for years to life.

Towards the end of 2025, I reflected on ways I can grow as a photographer and made an outline for the new year. I slowly began building some consistency again in December of 2025 which I see as a push start for my growth in 2026 and beyond. I feel confident knowing this is something I want to do for a living and I’m glad to know that my purpose has found me even in times when I doubted myself. I’m excited to see where my work takes me overtime.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

My name is Carla Gilmore and I am the creator of my photography brand, carrationz, which started in September 2023 after doing a photoshoot for a class project. My work consists of creative portrait photography due to my love of expressing oneself in unique and special ways. My focus with carrationz, which stands for carr’s creationz, is to build an artistic career as I work with others in, as I love to say, bringing their visions to life.

One of my goals in 2026 with carrationz is consistency and I would love to work with aspiring and polished models as well as other creatives on projects. I have a few photoshoots planned out for this year already and I can’t wait to work on them.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

One quality that is impactful during my journey is confidence. There were times where I lacked confidence especially with my brand due to worrying whether or not my work would turn out good or bad. I would look at previous shoots I’ve done and compare myself to the work that inspires me which led me to doubt myself. Because of this, I would hesitate on executing any ideas or building my brand even more. But in order to grow, I have to be willing to make mistakes as they will help me get to where I want to be as a photographer.

Another quality that is impactful for me is marketing. In order to reach people and build clientele, marketing is very important. I like searching for the best marketing tools when it comes to building my brand. I also observe other photographers and how they market themselves which I sometimes use as inspiration. Despite the hesitation and anxiety I feel when marketing carrationz, I know it will be beneficial for me in the long run.

My advice for those who are starting their creative careers would be to stay consistent and take up opportunities. Consistency helps keep the momentum and is also great for growing as a creative. Taking up opportunities is also amazing as it ties into the growth part and can even help when it comes to networking.

Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?

Whenever I feel overwhelmed, I will journal how I’m feeling. I have been journaling since I was 14 and it does help clear my head whenever it’s clouded with stuff. It also helps me identify traits about myself that I utilize to grow and it sometimes aids in my creative work.

I recommend people try journaling at least once. It doesn’t have to be perfect and you can jot down any and every thought possible. There are several prompts online for those who may not know what to write about exactly.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://carrationz.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carrationz/
• Other: https://linktr.ee/carrationz