ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- From smiles, to frowns, to goofy looks, these four-foot-long photos of more than 300 people from all walks of life have been plastered on the walls of a warehouse in St. Petersburg.
It’s called the Inside Out Art Project.
“It really is supposed to represent us, that photo can tell so much of a story without actually having to use words,” said photographer Michelle Tannu.
Tannu is the photographer responsible for bringing the Inside Out Art Project to St. Pete.
“Really to highlight the people in the community and those faces that make this place so special and allow us to really be able to thrive here in this environment,” said Tannu.
Tannu and local photographers Todd Bates and Rashad Hobson went out and found people of all ages, ethnicities and backgrounds and asked them to do just one thing, look at the camera.
“But we tell them we want to see a little bit of your personality, so we ask them to be a little animated at times,” said Tannu. “It’s not always easy to get someone to be like, ‘I want to blow up your face to 4.5 feet how do you feel about that,’” said Tannu.
The warehouse is located on 28th Street South right next to the Pinellas Trail, where it's catching plenty of attention.
“It was an honor, I felt very privileged and grateful to be asked to be up here,” said Brian Schanck.
Schanck’s glowing smile is at the top of the building. He said it’s amazing how many faces around him he recognizes.
“That’s what I think really makes St. Pete so unique, as much as it is a fairly bigger city, it is very much a small town,” said Schanck.
