If you spend any time at all stalking the insta-famous you probably have come across photographer Brent Mckeever. Brent grew up in Malibu, surrounded by the beautiful, talented and famous— and inadvertently, their rebellious kids. Born at the heart of Hollywood glam, with all its extravagance and indulgence, he was exposed to pop culture, art and fashion which in turn developed a love for all things naughty and risqué. He channels this through his candid shots of parties and friends, whilst also indulging followers’ curiosity by providing them with behind-the-scenes peeks of the wild side of fame and fortune. Through the years of experimenting with photography, art and visuals, he has perfected his signature style – campy, sexy and high in saturation. His portfolio is instantly recognisable as the world of noughties nostalgia. Certain racy shots are nods to early 2000s X-rated Playboy magazine covers, while others transport you to the sun-kissed streets of 90s LA. Brent has worked with notable models and influencers including but not limited to Kaia Gerber, Olivia O’Brien and Charlotte Lawrence.
Regardless of his celebrity cast, Brent’s success is not simply attributed to his A-list connections. The 19-year old has amassed a diverse and unforgettable portfolio showcased on his website, and exhibited his love letter to the unrestrained youth, ‘21 & Under’, at both the Arthur Roger Gallery and Kristy Stubbs Gallery in 2018. Additionally, he’s worked with prominent brands like Brandy Melville and Savage Fenty. There is no denying his talent at expressing the essence of youth; his own fresh, wide-eyed perspective lends authenticism to the moments he captures.
What makes Brent Mckeever stand out from the rest is the energy and creativity that lies behind his photos. From professional photoshoots recreating a raunchy car wash, to day-in-the-life snaps of friends chilling poolside, Brent has crafted an alluring, offbeat image that has followers curious to know the artist behind the lens. His Instagram, which has accumulated over 25k followers, feels like the personal journal of a wild child oozing with confidence: individualistic, rebellious and no doubt living life to the fullest.
His lust for creative expression and appetite for success drove him to leave his LA bubble and thrust himself into the exotic Big Apple limelight. Now as a second year student at NYU, Brent’s photos have encompassed his new life experiences and learning curves from his time away from home.
SHEESH! caught up with Brent Mckeever to find out more about his vision, artistic growth and future plans.
Q: What’s striking about your Instagram is its fabulous, glitzy, ‘Y2K’ quality. Would you say that’s a reflection of your personality and lifestyle? How would you describe yourself as a young creative?
BRENT MCKEEVER: “You’re not wrong about that at all. The campy, bubblegum pop, sexed-up photos that you’re talking about are just a reflection of a small part of my extremely chaotic mind and thought process that is constantly in a state of flux.
I would definitely say as of recently I’ve been going through a rebirth in terms of my artistic narrative and point of view and it has placed me back in the simpler time of the early aughts. I’m a 2000s baby myself so I guess I’m finally tapping into my origins.
I would describe myself as a photographer who is obsessed with exploring the idea of being sexy, desired, young and reckless, to say the least.”
Q: What drove you to pursue this passion? Who would you say inspires your work the most?
BRENT MCKEEVER: “I’ve been obsessed with art, pop culture, and fashion essentially all my life but I never really found a medium I could express myself through until I had photography. I think once I reached high school and started to experiment with youth culture and seeing the more rebellious side to life, I found that I could use photography to show people what my life looked like in all of its splendor and outrageousness.
I definitely glorified the appearance of my life early on which I think people forget when they’re looking at the climax of a moment – which is what those earlier photos were. Currently, my work is still inspired by a lot of the experiences I had and people I became friends with growing up in LA, but moving to New York last year to go to NYU was probably the best decision of my life thus far because now I’m getting an education in the best place to be (in my opinion) for photography. The inspiration there is endless and every day I go on a walk in the city I end up seeing something or someone random that sparks a new idea.
Oh and lastly I would marry David LaChapelle if I could, I really can’t get enough of that man’s mind – true genius. He really paved the way for what I’m trying to achieve now.”
Q: You’ve perfected the art of ‘insta candids’. Would you say that your photos are born out of your lifestyle, or is there a lot more behind-the-scenes construction than meets the eye?
BRENT MCKEEVER: “I have and always will take personal photos at parties and clubs. When I’m in that environment, it’s almost completely different from when I am doing a full shoot with an artist or model because I don’t want anything to be posed. What you see in those shots is how I saw it with my eyes in that moment. Almost all of my older photos were shot by myself with the subject, so not having a large team on shoots definitely helped me get that candid look that I find happens when there’s a trust between myself and whoever I’m shooting.
Now that I’m starting to make my work more complex with multiple variables I have had to increase the amount of people helping me shoot, but it’s been really amazing. I have been working with some really sick stylists and makeup artists who get me and my work; they’ve helped a lot of my ideas come to life.”
Q: I’ve always thought your work represents the liberation and freedom of all bodies and sexualities. What message do you want to send through your art?
BRENT MCKEEVER: “I think sex is…sexy!
We live in a world where, sadly, everyone is stereotyped and objectified. When I really started to explore my own identity as a gay black male, there were so many intersections that I never really considered. That, along with the stereotypes from my different cultural backgrounds, are present in my work for sure. I love exploring the various archetypes and characters society has created – like the popular mean girl, the hot jock, the frilly gay boy, the ‘hoe,’ etc. and reimagining them in their own color-filled fantasy world, but based in reality.
A lot of my ideas come from the desire I had for authentic self expression when I was still closeted; all I wanted to do was wear a Juicy Couture pink tracksuit when I was in 8th grade but instead I was wearing Thrasher t-shirts because that’s what the other boys were doing. I’m really happy because I’ve found this perfect form of ‘sexual objectification’ that is really empowering for the people I photograph and is honestly just a comment on the type of culture we all have created.
There is no one message I want to send with my work, and I’m usually happy with whatever interpretation or response I get for it. The goal is really to give them something to talk or think about.”
Q: Where would you like to see your talents take you in the near or far future? Would you try something different to what you’re doing now?
BRENT MCKEEVER: “I am just starting to find myself again in terms of what and how I want to shoot, so I’m definitely going to keep doing with what I’m doing now because I’ve only just recently tapped into its potential. I really want to start directing some music videos and doing more cinematography for sure. There’s a lot of times where I am trying to come up with new ideas for photoshoots, and I get stuck because I realize that the idea is far too complex for a regular photoshoot and would be executed much better if it were a video. I am never not listening to music so it’s not a surprise that a large portion of my inspiration for photos comes from songs and artists that I feel fit my ‘brand.’ Right now I’m really into the hyper-erotic pop girlies like Shygirl, Slayyyter, and Ayesha Erotica.”
Q: Aside from your new website, are there any other projects coming up our readers at SHEESH! should eagerly look out for?
BRENT MCKEEVER: “Lots! I don’t really like talking about projects before I actually do them because I’m incredibly superstitious about jinxing shit. With that being said, you should expect me to really start defining my style and collaborating with some really exciting people that personally inspire me and my work.”
Keep up with the latest work from Brent Mckeever, such as the recently released ‘Recess’ (2020), and day-to-day shots on Instagram @brentmckeever. Browse his finished projects on brentmckeever.com.
Check out more talented photographers: Meet Photographer Brandie Wed and Taja Spasskova Perfectly Captures the Loneliness of the Pandemic.
