Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Brionne Dunham. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Brionne, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on so far is actually the one of my most recent projects called “What is a Box?” with creative director and model Klarke Foreman.

I met Klarke through one of my good friends/her brother. I photographed her family for their annual family portraits and I remember photographing her thinking “wow, this girl is a MODEL.” I could tell she knew how to serve face just by how she was looking into the camera and giving me very strong eyes. And these were just the family photos LOL!

We kept in touch and she contacted me about a project she wanted to do. The project is about pushing boundaries as a plus-size model. I never realized the lack of representation there is for plus size models to be open and free and to show off their bodies until this project. I remember trying to build a board to give the team a visual representation of the shots that I was going for and I could not for the life of me find any plus size models who was showing skin and flaunting their bodies. It was women who looked like me-slim and skinny- who had all the sexy poses and flashing cleavage. I was a little disappointed that I wasn’t able to find any women that looked like Klarke to put on the shot board because I wanted her to have that visual representation of a woman that had the same body type as her being feminine, sexy and dominant in her body. Then, I realized, well, that’s the point of this shoot. To create the representation and be a trail blazer for other plus size women so they, too, can know that they can be sexy in their skin and their bodies. And it’s okay to be bold with it. Who knows? Maybe somebody will put one of the photos of Klarke on their own inspo board.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m a photographer and videographer. I’m a little more on the editorial side right now, but I’ve found myself creating beautiful images in everyday life lately. There’s always something to snap and record.

I’m proud of the progression I’ve made in my career as of late. I’ve become more confident in myself and the images I’ve been capturing. I’m actually doing the projects I want to do now and actually working with teams of people on these projects like creative directors, wardrobe stylists, designers, hair stylists and makeup artists.

Don’t get it twisted, though. It’s not always about the titles that people have. I’ve found that it’s more so about the people who are serious about what they do. Who are collaborative and proactive. That’s what makes a quality team and that’s also what can make or break a project.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

You don’t have to have it all to get started. You don’t have to have a studio to shoot. You don’t have to have the best, most expensive gear to produce quality images. These things help when establishing yourself as a business person, yes, but they’re not a guarantee for a success. Whatever you have access to is enough for you to get creative and get started.

All you need is all you have.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The hustle is the most rewarding part. Those late nights, 16-hour work days, not getting booked enough in a month to make rent so now you have to run Uber Eats to make up the difference (iykyk), as hard as it is sometimes, those are the parts I’m addicted to the most. I’ve found that I am stronger than what I thought and I hold a lot more power than what I was ever willing to give myself credit for. So whatever I need to do to unlock a new level in my career and in my life, I just do it because I know I can.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.brionnecdunham.com
• Instagram: @brionnecdunham
• Linkedin: Brionne C. Dunham

Image Credits
Image Credits: Brionne C. Dunham
Lainie Maroulis