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Brit uses still images to uncover the “human glitches” that reveal something real about a person. The glance. The gesture. The little thing they do without thinking. As a queer filmmaker, she wants to see people fully themselves. Not the version they think they're supposed to be.
You feel these pictures more deeply, turning an ordinary moment into something you remember. This commitment to authenticity is the backbone of her ongoing project Be The Real, a portrait and film archive spotlighting individuals in their most honest, unguarded moments.
She brings that eye to her commercial work. In her White Claw campaign, the cast feels like friends just hanging out. The clothes, hair, makeup, props, and performances all feel lived in, building a world that feels instinctive rather than staged. Her study of acting shapes how she works with people, helping them find the choices that make a moment feel real. She brings that approach to her work for brands like Apple, Zenni Optical, Veronica Beard, X and State Farm.
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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