Woman Crush Wednesday: Brittany Bravo
She Dances In The Moonlight © Brittany Bravo
Words & Images by Brittany Bravo
Interview by Athena Abdien
How did the process of creating images for She Dances In The Moonlight come to be?
The creation of these images was such a collaborative effort! The amazing hair was created by my constant collaborator Desiree Irving, she does the hair for so many of my projects. The beautiful makeup is by the incredibly talented Denise Bugarín who created the sunset color palette of my dreams. We started shooting just 15 minutes before sunset. Magically the moon was out and shining bright in the blue twilight hour, which was truly a happy accident. The dress was so flowy and fun that naturally Mireya, the model, started dancing. It was a beautiful moment and so effortless too. I ended up only choosing the photos we shot after the sun had set. The blue sky contrasted with the vibrant orange dress to give the photos their magical colors! To me these photos represent feeling free and powerful. We should all dance under the moonlight every now and then.
She Dances In The Moonlight © Brittany Bravo
What inspires you as a director & photographer?
My work is guided by love and I take inspiration in what I love the most — life, my family, and community. I create a lot around the themes of family and community. I genuinely enjoy connecting with people and I try to celebrate our togetherness through creating images full of love.
On your website, you're “known for bringing a powerful softness to [your] images” — can you elaborate on this a bit further?
I always try my best to capture people with respect and care; I believe being photographed is a vulnerable process. When I capture images, I want to highlight people’s power as well as their softness. I think we are all full of nuances and those nuances can coexist beautifully. I love creating portraits of people that are simultaneously filled with defiance and tenderness. There is no strength without vulnerability. I love the duality.
She Dances In The Moonlight © Brittany Bravo
If you could teach a one-hour class on anything, what would it be?
If I could teach a one-hour class it would be on how to roller skate! I love roller skating. I’m no expert, but I think it would be fun to teach the basics of skating!
What was the last book you read that resonated with you?
The last book I read that resonated with me was “Graciela Iturbide on Dreams, Symbols, and Imagination.” Graciela Iturbide is a Mexican photographer who greatly inspires me. Her work is full of symbolism and I loved learning more about her process through this book. She says the key to making great work is to live life. Reading her book reaffirmed to me the importance of living life fully to stay inspired.
She Dances In The Moonlight © Brittany Bravo
Describe your creative process in one word.
Joy-filled.
What is your favorite podcast to listen to?
I really love the podcast Photo Dump. It’s a podcast by and for working photographers. I highly recommend listening to it if photography is your career.
She Dances In The Moonlight © Brittany Bravo
How do you take your coffee?
There’s a hole-in-the-wall donut shop at the corner of my block and I enjoy walking there in the morning to get a medium hot coffee with vanilla creamer. Nothing fancy, but it’s a simple pleasure I really enjoy.
