Real memories of real moments in real life

Photography is in Sealey Brandt’s blood but children have been Brandt’s pure source of inspiration ever since she happened to discover a very special series of images taken in black and white by her late father ‘Brian Brandt’.

After some 25 years working in the advertising industry throughout the world, Brandt stumbled upon her next calling when visiting her father’s studio as an adult. Finding one particular set of poster size pictures of her and her brother as children completely changed the course of her life.

“I loved the feeling I got from looking at these images my father created,” says Brandt.

“Looking at these timeless images some 30 years after they were taken and printed, I was so taken by them as they taught me a lot about who I was as a little girl. I was three, at a time which I don’t remember. These images are very simple but say so much. They also told me a lot about the relationships within the family. They brought tears to my eyes.”

I said to my father,

“I found my thing in life. I really have now found my thing! If I could take images and give 10% of what you have given me to other families I would be thrilled. What a wonderful way to spend the rest of my life. I will shoot film and print all my prints by hand, just like you have done for me! That way families will get beautiful spontaneous soulful images of their children that last for life. The children of the families I photograph will inherit their images like I have mine. Creating images that people love for life”. This immediately prompted me to leave the world of advertising photography and led me to the world of truthful beauty and the spontaneous image that only children can evoke.”

Sealey at three. Photographer: Brian Brandt

Brandt’s clients are in gracious nurturing hands as she makes them feel so comfortable in front of the camera and proceeds to capture unique and spontaneous moments of children and people being themselves, on black and white film. With a large emphasis on the children in her care having fun, Brandt has built a strong professional reputation and a most personally rewarding business through trust, expertise and shear intangible intuition. Approaching each shoot with remarkable ease considering the menagerie and unpredictable nuances of her young characters’ moods, Brandt strives to capture the rare candidly real moments of people comfortably being themselves.

“Children are full of life, inspiring and insightful. They are incredibly honest, which is why I love photographing them,” enthuses Brandt. “Memories are important to me. It’s this gloriously intimate soulful feeling and the great recollection of my own childhood, captured through my father’s ‘eye’ that I wish to share. It is the best gift that a daughter or son could ever receive.”

Brandt specializes in Child and Family Portrait Photography but in a very ‘artistic and spontaneous manner’. It’s simple say’s Brandt ‘ if your subjects are happy and having fun in front of the camera everyone looks beautiful even if for only a moment. Beauty comes from within. I love people and I love life so I have a great knack of helping people relax, have fun and I help them to be real. I’m don’t pose people. I help them really be themselves. If you can get people and children feeling free, happy and having fun it’s then down to the craft of photography to get the great shots. I have that craft down pack through practice and obsession over 40 years. I then know when to click the camera so I get the great shot. It has taken a lot of practice and learning but to be great at something takes a lot of practice and time. I have been obsessed with photography like Feddera has been tennis. He started young and has hit a lot of balls like I have shot a lot of film. It takes determination and skill. The rest is talent. Talent you can’t pretend. You either have it or you don’t.

The quality of Brandt’s work is a testament to her view that the photographs are heirlooms to be cherished for generations to come. Brandt’s strong technical background enables her to effortlessly manipulate the photographic medium through traditional processing techniques. Working with film all prints are handcrafted in a dark room on archival paper, which enables the finished product to be certified as authentic without artificial embellishments.

Brandt is a conjurer and an alchemist. She never gives up till she has got those great pictures for every client, which is why she has now photographed hundreds of families throughout the world. She makes regular trips to Hong Kong, Australia and is based in Singapore. She can be commissioned to photograph families anywhere in the world.

Her pictures are precious because they are real.