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She looks for vulnerability in her work, creating stories that are both personal and universally understood. Her ongoing project, Be The Real, spotlights people living as their most authentic selves through portraiture and film. The series lives as a photo book and video archive at bethereal.com. It reflects Brit’s ability to create layered, grounded work designed to connect. Past collaborators include Apple, State Farm, Men's Wearhouse, and White Claw.
Be The Real is an ongoing portrait series exploring how individuality can exist alongside community. Each subject is photographed as they are, without performance or polish, and paired with a short video accessible through a QR code inside the book. Together, the portraits and films create an intimate record of people who feel deeply rooted in themselves while being held by the communities around them.
At its core, Be The Real is about acceptance. The belief that we should not have to become someone else in order to be loved. This series is Brit Phelan’s way of finding and building a community that lives by that truth.
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