I spotted two young women taking pictures of each other in front of Belk Theater. Since they clearly seemed comfortable in front of a camera, I decided to approach them for the project.
Meet Michayla.
Michayla was in uptown to have lunch with her friend. She’s been in Charlotte for two years and is originally from New Jersey where her family still lives.
Michayla is a dance teacher who teaches children’s ballet.
What do you do when you’re not working? “I’m super into interior design. I just bought a house so I’ve been kind of doing that.”
What advice would you give to your younger self? “Don’t take shit from anyone. Am I allowed to curse? Back in the day I feel like I just wanted to please everyone.”
Have you overcome that or is it a work in progress? “It’s sort of a work in progress. You know I tend to say yes even though I don’t want to.”
What is your biggest challenge? “Just trying to figure out what I want to do and how to do it. I love my career… it’s just kind of a hard career to do. I love my kids. That’s amazing. One of things that is hard about it is, watching them, I wish I could still be dancing.”
What would you do if you had a million dollars? “I would go on vacation with my boyfriend and buy a house in Jersey.”
Thank you Michayla for being one of my 100 Strangers.
Technical Notes: We had nice even, indirect light that day and the light-colored pavers softened the shadows on her face. I didn’t nail the focus on this one. Perhaps I accidentally focused on the brim of her hat.
There’s something about posing for a camera that causes spontaneous laughing fits.
Dan Russell-Pinson 