About Me

Where to begin? Ah that’s right, my name!

My name is Sophie Brown, 20 years old and I aspire to become a photographer. At this stage I’m unsure of my direction; whether it’s for myself, or whether I plan to make a career out of it. But one thing I do know it that I’ve always loved photography, ever since I was young. My dad has always loved taking photos and working with film, so I guess he’s my inspiration.

It’s only recently that I’ve decided to study photography. To be honest, this time last year I had no idea what I wanted to do! I had just finished an Advance Diploma of Tourism at Central Institute of Technology (TAFE). My parents sat me down and made me answer a list of multiple choice questions that would lead me to know what I desired to study – it’s all a joke really, but it’s what brought me to ECU today and I haven’t regretted a second of it. I’ve been studying here at ECU for a full year now and I’ve learnt so much and I never would have had the opportunity if it weren’t for that silly test.

I also love travelling, so I hope to combine the two things I love most; travelling and photography. Why travelling you ask? Well my dad used to work for an oil and gas company, which essentially meant a lot of travelling, and I got used to change. For ten years I lived the life of an expat, AKA someone who lives outside of their native country. Where I was born and lived majority of my life was Thailand. No, this doesn’t make me Thai before you ask (I’ve been asked countless times). Both my parents are British and you can only be Thai if one of your parents are that nationality. I grew up with a maid half my life, who practically did everything for my family, including raising my younger brother and myself. We lived in a huge house in an estate because Thailand was inexpensive and to Thai’s we were rich white people, simply putting it. I went to an international school in Pattaya, Thailand, and was schooling with all nationalities. I grew up with kids who looked and dressed different to me, which was great because I’ve never had an issue with Racism, sexuality etc. due to the diverse culture I was surround by.

Facts that people don’t really know about me?

1. Well for starters I’m an old-fashioned kind of girl, I prefer writing in books than on a computer – I feel more connected with myself and what I’m writing about, which is why I hand wrote a draft for this page.
2. Another thing, OCD. I’m very particular with organisation. Each unit I study at ECU is colour coded to make it easier to distinguish them from each other.
3. Due to travelling all around the world, I’ve had to pull out of schools and attend new ones, having to make new friends etc. I’ve attended 18 schools, ECU making it my 19th.

I met my boyfriend around this time last year. At the time I was 19 and he was 18 years. We actually met through one of my photography projects. I already had 3 models at this point, which I was preparing for the shoot. Next minute I heard the doorbell ring and one of my models; a friend, had invited one of his mates along too. And that was the first moment I’d met him. I held out my hand and introduced myself, then told him to come in and take his top off so I could paint him as part of my project too. Ever since that day we’ve become inseparable, and the great this is that we’re both creative, so we know how each others minds work. If it weren’t for him showing up in my life I may not have been here. A part of my life turned dark for a while, friends turned on me for no reason and I felt alone. I went down a dark path but I recovered quickly with him around. We make each other stronger, and I am the luckiest person alive to have found such an amazing guy.

My aim in life is pretty simple. I wish to photograph people and the world, and make them see what I see; an amazing world filled with wonderfully talented people. Not a lot of people can look through a lens and capture and see a moment so imperfectly perfect, so I’d like to show them, and this is how I’ve decided to do it. I’ve made myself a page on Facebook with previous photos I’ve taken, so far there’s not much, but once I start travelling there will be plenty more to come. There are seriously a million reasons as to why I’m here but honestly it’s because I want to show people how beautiful things are, even when they’re not so perfect. I want to refresh the world and show them how to inspire moments of optimism and happiness.

 

Photography Blog: https://www.facebook.com/focusedonshooting