At age 35, Carla Coulson switched careers to become a photographer. Since then, she has published three books, been featured in both Australian and international magazines, runs the ‘Carla Loves Photography’ blog, and her iconic ‘Italian Joy’ and ‘Jeune Fille En Fleur’ photographs have become collectable items for fans worldwide.
As Carla states on her website, “Like so many people who dream about doing it, at the end of a bad week in Sydney almost 15 years ago, I actually did it. I left my life to go find the right one for me.”
Carla was living in Sydney and running her own clothing business when she found herself living a life she no longer wanted. After winning ‘Client of the Year’ at her local Thai take-away, she knew that it was time for change. She headed to Italy for a one month photography course, which turned into 6 months. From here, she knew that she couldn’t return to her life in Sydney. She made the decision to spend the second half of her life doing something that she loved and enrolled in a photography school in Florence.
A big break came for Carla when her first story was published in Marie Claire Australia. She pitched the magazine a travel story on Naples that she had completed as a final project at photography school. Marie Claire published it, along with another ‘style’ story she had photographed. These thirteen pages opened new doors for Carla.
It was a dream for Carla to publish a book on Italy, the country that she loved so much. After living in Italy for almost three years, she did just that, publishing her first book ‘Italian Joy.’ These photographs were ‘straight from the heart’ and depict Carla’s deep love for Italy. She also says, ‘many readers connected to my story of leaving my life in Sydney and unbeknown to me at the time of writing, I found lots of women discontented with what they were doing with their lives who related to my story.’
The most important thing for Carla in a photo is emotion. Along with great composition, beautiful lighting, a wonderful subject and background, Carla aims to create photos that make the viewer feel something. Her works celebrate life, joy, moments and her subjects.
The Jeune Fille En Fleur (Young Girl in Bloom) series is shot in Paris where Carla has lived since 2004. The series is inspired by incredible women around Carla, who are ‘so innately beautiful and powerful yet often don’t see it in themselves.’ Through these images, she hopes to inspire women to look within at their own beauty, find their uniqueness and tap into their power.
Carla wanted a life full of love, adventure and passion; photography has led her to that life. She has been pushed out of her comfort zone and the learning curve has been a steep one, but it has also brought her so many wonderful life experiences.
Forman is delighted to work with Carla and showcase her honest, beautiful and empowering images. Find her available works here!
You can also read more about Carla and her work on her website.