Impromptu Portraits & Shared Humanity
“These impromptu portraits offer glimpses into the everyday activities of people of all ages, living in all the many cultures I have stepped into over the years. We are all unique and beautiful beings who embody and express the essence of our shared humanity, and my wish for the world is that we all embrace each other fully on all levels, appreciating how we make each other whole.”—Chiara-Sophia Coyle
Clicks & Relativity
By Chiara-Sophia Coyle
SONOMA California—(Hubris)—August/September 2024—This summer, photographer and multi-cultural life coach Chiara-Sophia Coyle, who has traveled extensively from her bases in Sonoma, California and Mykonos, Greece (which will always be, for her, home), has compiled a portfolio of people she has photographed, all over the world. As she says, “These impromptu portraits offer glimpses into the everyday activities of people of all ages, living in all the many cultures I have stepped into over the years. We are all unique and beautiful beings who embody and express the essence of our shared humanity, and my wish for the world is that we all embrace each other fully on all levels, appreciating how we make each other whole.”
Coyle is a fourth-generation photographer, acquainted with the art form from an early age. Growing up in Greece, she was always pursued by her mother, her Rolleiflex at the ready, recording and sharing scenes of family life with distant grandparents and her children’s working-at-sea father.
Photography became Coyle’s own means of escape as a young teenager. Kodak Instamatic in hand, The sound of the twist and advancement of film in her Kodak Instamatic became music to her ears, as she explored all the hallmarks of the Aegean: water, light, white, and blue. Photography kept grounded as she navigated life challenges and endured the endless longing and aching for her homeland, Greece.
Experimenting, early, with Emulsion Transfers, Chiara-Sophia moved on to printing in her own dark room; then, to capturing digital images, constantly experimenting and exploring the new. Based in Sonoma, California, Coyle is a Life Coach and Retreat Leader but she continues to travel, photograph, and work with what feeds her soul, wherever she may be: the people, the water, the reflections, the abstract.
Chiara-Sophia Coyle
Born in the United States in the 1960s (then, transplanted to a very small, remote Greek island at the age of three months); brought up in a bilingual and frequently culturally conflicted environment; repatriated to Homeland No. 1 some 25 years ago; descended from four generations of photographers, Chiara-Sophia Coyle was acquainted with photography from an early age; always pursued by her mother, Rolleiflex at the ready, recording and sharing scenes of family life with absent grandparents and her children's working-at-sea father. Photography became Coyle's own escape as a young teenager. Kodak Instamatic in hand, the sound of the twist and the advancement of the film music to her ears, she began exploring all the elements of the Aegean: water, light, white, blue. While never an income generator, photography is what kept the artist sane as she navigated the challenges of single parenting, and endured the endless longing and aching for Homeland No. 2. Experimenting, early, with Emulsion Transfers, Coyle moved on to printing in her own dark room; then, to digital and iPhotography, constantly experimenting and exploring the new. Based in Sonoma, California, Coyle is an Expat Life Coach and Retreat Leader and continues to travel, photograph, and work with what feeds her soul, wherever she may be: the people, the water, the reflections, the abstract. Her current art may be found on Instagram (@chiarasophia1); contact her at [email protected]. (Author Head Shot Augment: René Laanen.)