SARAH CAREY PHOTOGRAPHY
Uninvited
I’ve experienced sleep paralysis since childhood, often seeing and hearing things that felt unexplainable. These moments have shaped my relationship with fear, the unknown, and spirituality. By recreating these experiences visually, I want to mend the gap between personal memory and collective imagination, allowing viewers to step into this state of mind.
Beyond just fear, the project explores the fragility of consciousness and the tension between reality and illusion. Rather than a literal documentary approach, this series transforms my personal experiences into a stylized, cinematic interpretation, almost like scenes from a movie. While the images are dramatized in their composition, lighting, and mood, they remain rooted in my own encounters. The images go between personal memory and storytelling. This aesthetic choice allows me to emphasize the emotion, atmosphere, and psychological weight of sleep paralysis, making the intangible feel tangible.
Consume
Consume explores my personal struggle with overconsumption, particularly with clothing. Through carefully designed sets and vibrant, maximalist compositions, I transform everyday spaces into overwhelming landscapes of fabric. The project captures both the act of acquiring and the feeling of being consumed by possessions.
By using clothing from my own wardrobe, I confront the reality of my habits while inviting viewers to see themselves within the imagery. Consume encourages reflection on the weight of material excess and the broader cultural impact of consumerism.
Parameters
Parameters was created as part of an assignment to work within self-imposed creative constraints. I chose to limit myself to the bathroom of my first-year dorm, transforming this ordinary space into a backdrop for intimate, experimental imagery.
By working within these restrictions, I explored how limitations can fuel creativity, manipulating light, composition, and perspective to create compelling visuals. The project examines themes of personal space, transformation, and how environments shape our perception of self, proving that creativity thrives within boundaries.
Nourish
Nourish is a series exploring my personal experience with an eating disorder, reflecting both my own emotions and those of others facing similar struggles. The project delves into themes of self-worth, body image, and the emotional toll of the relationship between food and identity. Through intimate imagery, Nourish aims to shed light on the silent struggles of living with an eating disorder, fostering reflection and empathy while encouraging dialogue about healing and self-care.
Breath
Breath is a project based on my anxiety, made into prints. The white cloth is the anxiety itself, weighing down on the subject. Water emulates the constant feeling of drowning, symbolizing life, purity and hope.