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A woman wearing a knitted beret bites into a flatbread sandwich held on a paper plate by a man with a beard in a striped hoodie.
Smiling woman lying on a bed with her eyes closed and hands resting on her forehead.
Close-up of a man getting a haircut with clippers at a barber shop.
Smiling woman wearing a wetsuit and head covering with palm trees and clear blue sky in the background.
Four people enjoying a sunny day in a pool with a turquoise inflatable float, two holding bottles.
Person sitting on ledge with legs stretched out, sunlight and tree branches overhead against a clear blue sky.
A man in a black shirt and shorts is leaning over and working on the engine of a dirt bike outdoors on a gravel surface.
Teenage boy balancing on the rear wheels of a green ATV on a grassy lawn near a wooden fence.
Four Boy Scouts in uniform writing on papers outside a café with patterned chairs and a display labeled BIGOT.
Chef in white uniform and hat sitting on a stone ledge by a green door, smoking and talking on a phone.
Man and woman riding a blue bicycle on a city street during golden hour; woman holds a camera and wears a headscarf, man wears a cap and camouflage shorts.
Person holding a kitchen hand mixer upright near their face with the beaters lit by a lightbulb, posing playfully in a cozy kitchen.
Woman with brown hair eating avocado toast topped with sliced tomatoes indoors.
Young woman with braided hair holding a small dog wearing a shirt while reacting with her hand near her mouth on a porch in front of a door.
Smiling man with gray hair and beard wearing glasses and green jacket holding a camera in a shop filled with photography supplies.

Brit Phelan’s PhoTOGRAPHY reveals storytelling in its pure, unguarded form.

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

Be The Real is an ongoing portrait series exploring how individuality can exist alongside community. Each subjec tographed 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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Film + TV
Independent, Brit Phelan
brit@britphelan.com
Commercials
Good Times, Eric McCasline
eric@itsgoodtimes.com
Photography
Good Times, Corwin Carrol
corwin@itsgoodtimes.com
Creative Studio
Little Known, Hannah Schalles
hannah@littleknown.com
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