24 Jun Aleksandra — The Thousand People Project
Aleksandra is the fourth participant in my A Thousand People Project, an ongoing series centred around identity, personal environments, and capturing people as they truly exist within their own lives. The project focuses on authentic moments rather than performance, exploring how space, objects, and lived experiences quietly reveal who someone is. Each session becomes less about posing and more about documenting presence.
I photographed Aleksandra on January 30, 2026, transforming my dining room into a temporary environment inspired by her world. I moved furniture aside and filled the space with plants, yoga elements, and meaningful objects to reflect different parts of her life. We created two distinct sets: a calm wellness-inspired series and a second series showing her working within a podcast setting using her own tools and props. While both felt true to her, I found myself especially drawn to the podcast images, and one of those photographs became my selected piece for the art project.
Normally, the A Thousand People Project takes place entirely within environments connected directly to each participant’s daily life, and I avoid studio-style portraits because removing context also removes part of a person’s story. This session became a thoughtful exception during the winter months. Instead of photographing Aleksandra elsewhere, we built an environment around her identity using her yoga mat, clothing, laptop, and personal items, allowing the space to still feel authentically hers. The process pushed me creatively and allowed the same room to transform into multiple worlds shaped by her personality.
What makes photographing Aleksandra especially meaningful is how layered her life is. She runs a landscaping business in the summer, works as a MIM model, hosts a growing podcast, and maintains a holistic practice that sometimes takes her travelling. She approaches life with curiosity and openness, always ready for the next adventure, which makes her an endlessly intriguing subject.
She also always has the most fascinating stories. During our shoot, she shared how she once discovered a macaw outside her home, searched for its owners, and ultimately adopted the bird when no one came forward. The bird now has its own dedicated space in her second kitchen, and her son plans to care for it in the future. Her love for animals and her natural compassion are qualities I deeply admire and feel naturally come through in her presence.
Working with Aleksandra never feels transactional. It feels more like catching up with someone you already know, with conversations flowing easily between sets. That comfort creates space for authenticity, which is exactly what A Thousand People Project is meant to capture: people not as performances, but as living stories unfolding in real time.
To see more of Aleksandra’s work, click the link below:
Aleksandra – model/entrepreneur – https://www.instagram.com/ideas_with_impact_podcast/
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