Today we’d like to introduce you to Samantha Gibbs.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Samantha. So, let’s start at the beginning, and we can move on from there.
I originally moved out to LA to pursue acting, but like most stories go, it is a lot harder to get into than I originally thought. I struggled to afford acting classes which lead me to being on a dry spell for a while. I started to doubt myself and whether I should even continue trying to pursue this dream that I had since I was a little girl, and then a friend of mine asked me if I wanted to help with his photography portfolio and model for him.
I had done a little modeling here and there for some photographer friends back home, so I thought it would be fun to get creative again. I ended up posting the photos on my personal Instagram account, which lead to some photographers messaging me wanting to shoot me, I started to build a bit of a following, shooting more commercial portraits in the beginning. I then started to go to meets held within the LA area, networking and meeting even more photographers and models within the photography community in LA.
I really loved the whole atmosphere of being able to create something from start to finish, but I was still craving the ability to be creative and really tap into why I came out to LA. That’s when I started to move away from commercial portraits and focused more on cinematic and theatrical modeling. I can tell a story with my modeling, like acting on still film, and I absolutely love it.
Has it been a smooth road?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road, but those bumps have taught me so much. By far the biggest obstacle I’ve overcome is listening to my heart and creating the content I want, not the ‘popular’ content I was doing. I started out commercial modeling in lingerie, but I really wasn’t happy doing it.
I wanted to be creative and make moody, dark, and theatrical content; I wanted to act. So I decided to do a complete 180 and change my content into what it is today. It was rocky in the beginning because I not only lost a lot of supporters within the photography community that I had been modeling in but also followers on my Instagram that I had been working very hard to build.
In the beginning, I doubted if I made the right choice. But every time I stepped in front of the camera and got to create the art I wanted, those doubts began to disappear. It wasn’t easy taking that step, but it’s a decision I don’t regret for a second.
We’d love to hear more about what you do.
I’m a model specializing in theatrical, cinematic, and mood driven photography. I am known for doing concepts that are darker and more emotional based, with a bit of weird thrown in.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I definitely see the fashion and modeling industry going beyond commercial modeling and leaning more towards theatrics. There are so many companies and publications that want to sell their products in a more eye-catching way.
I feel like this industry wants to make people talk and think with the photos that they produce, and I think that’s amazing. Blending art and commercialism is definitely in the future.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: instagram.com/sammanthagibbs
Image Credit:
Justin Gutierrez (Instagram: Blaqk.Rabbit)
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