Brandie Wed first drew my attention a few years back on Instagram with her eye-catching photos. I noticed how her photography style, similar to that of vintage portraits, undeniably provokes feelings of nostalgia. As I continued to look through her feed, the way she played with the symmetry and asymmetry of her model’s poses stood out to me. I immediately followed her, and since then her photoshoots have never failed to inspire me. Every image conveys emotion and captures the beauty of her subjects in a manner that appears effortless. After years of following Brandie Wed, I reached out to her to learn more about her photography. Despite their refreshing simplicity, they are achieved with a lot of work, and the majority of it is executed by Brandie herself.
One of my favorite aspects of Brandie’s photos is the uniformity of the clothing the models wear. In many cases they wear the same item in varying hues, or even identical outfits. I asked Brandie if she usually works with a stylist, and she clarified that she often does it all herself: “I’ve used a makeup artist maybe twice and a stylist probably three to four times, but other than that it’s just me. I have no team.”
These understated styling choices allow for Brandie’s real motive for taking photographs to shine through. “What really draws me to photographing someone is showing them things I see in them that they might not see in themselves,” Brandie explained. This made sense to me, because in her photos, the models exude an aura of confidence. Brandie’s goal is to capture each individual’s features in a way that would make even the most self-critical recognize their own beauty. She added, “All of the people I shoot have so much potential and sometimes they think otherwise… so it’s important for me to capture them in the best way possible.”
For Brandie, photography was only a hobby until she graduated high school and began to pursue it more seriously. She confessed that in the past she didn’t think she was capable of achieving anything with her photography. Now she views her skills differently: she has shot for huge brands like Adidas and Converse, and in the future Brandie aspires to be listed in the art section of Forbes 30 Under 30.
To those just starting out in creative fields, Brandie advised, “Don’t be afraid of trial and error. Remember that everyone’s process and journey is completely different, so be patient.” Along with remembering to believe in herself, this advice has been the key to her own success. Brandie’s confidence in herself is what has allowed her to use her photography to bring out confidence in others.
