Behind the Lens: Meet Casey Carlton  

I got my first camera and became that person — the one always in someone's face ready to catch people in their most unguarded moments. My school campus became my playground, and I was absolutely relentless about finding a moment — any moment — that I could capture and share.
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But something kept happening that I never expected. Something beautiful. Every single person I photographed would light up when they saw their photo. Their laughter mid-burst, their concentration during a quiet moment, their authentic self when they thought no one was looking. Suddenly, they could see what I saw.

I was giving people permission to see themselves the way others see them. The way I saw them. Every photograph became proof that they existed in that moment, exactly as they were, and that it was worth remembering. Each captured frame was like handing someone a mirror that showed them their best, or maybe not so best self. Either way, they saw their authentic self.

Now, years later, that same thrill hits me every time someone's emotions change when they see their photo. That feeling of connection, that moment of recognition; that's what fuels every single frame.