As I Live
and Breathe
“As I Live and Breathe” is a photography book celebrating the untold stories of southerners & exploring what it means to be human in the South - an experience shaped by complexity, connection, and creativity all intertwined in our region’s complicated roots.
Photographer & Media-Focused Storyteller, Sophia Calderon, uses styled portraiture & written narrative to nurture this vibrant, intimate portrayal of life in the United States South.
This book is an ode to the joy, brilliance, resilience, and depth of southerners. Each image reclaims and preserves our collective identity, while pushing back against watered-down stereotypes and one-dimensional portrayals.
As Told By Its People
THIS IS THE SOUTH
layered, evolving, and unapologetically human
the stories we tell about who we are, and where we come from, deeply matter.
This book is more than a celebration, it’s an act of cultural preservation and narrative justice. It archives voices and faces that are often overlooked or misunderstood at a time when empathy, curiosity, and connection are more essential than ever. “As I Live and Breathe” invites us into a more honest and nuanced understanding of identity and belonging.
Storytelling is resistance and too many stories have been told about us, without us. Visibility is healing and honoring where we come from, with all its complexity, is how we begin to write what comes next.
SPONSOR A STORY
Financial Goal per Story: $800
$100 Compensation for Subjects: alignment with my value of equity - honoring time, stories, and participation in cultural archiving because it values the subject’s contribution, addresses historical exploitation, and ensures they benefit materially from the preservation of their lived experiences.
$50 Stylist Consultation: 1 hour with our style consultant for creative support in styling each subject’s look.
$200 for shoot materials and styled look: includes a dry cleaning fee for second hand, vintage clothing. For cost effectiveness and sustainability all of the materials for the shoots are second hand.
$450 for travel and production: Full intent to drive, using a standard (67 cent/mile) mileage rate. For cost effectiveness, I plan to avoid accommodations fees by staying with friends and community while traveling out of state, but included a lodging budget for safety. Additional basic needs, such as meals.
Who gets to tell Southern stories?
What do we lose when narratives are oversimplified?
What happens when we’re finally seen for ALL that we are?
The emotional and cultural groundwork of “As I Live and Breathe” has been the work of my lifetime, paved by years of observation, understanding, & empathy, influenced by the storytellers who came before us.
My vision is shaped by the deep possessiveness I have for the South and is a physical rejection of every eyebrow raised or laugh released when I’ve said I am from the Mississippi.
The southerners I know, love, and belong to are too remarkable to be flattened into caricature: often misunderstood, misrepresented, or completely left out of broader cultural conversations.
This collection of work is most personal and expansive continuation of my work to date. I believe that my own history and understanding of the South married with my purpose to center community, identity, and cultural storytelling in my art will allow me to carry out this vision with intentionality and care.
My creative approach will continue to sit at the intersection of documentary and editorial photography, styling each subject in unique clothing, utilizing color and textures to honor their individuality, all while ensuring their story and humanity is preserved.