Today we’d like to introduce you to Brooklyn Lowe.
Hi Brooklyn, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve always been a creative. From receiving my first easel at 3 years old and discovering my love for acting at age six when I played The Virgin Mary in my Kindergarten class’ Christmas play, creative expression in one way or another has been a constant theme of my life.
As I grew older, I developed (and my mother nurtured) a deep love for the arts. I could be found writing and reciting poetry, drawing, painting, and acting on stage and film. Photography came as an unexpected passion. As a teenager, I was a faithful subscriber to magazine publications like Teen Vogue, Elle, and Seventeen. I wanted to be a magazine editor when I grew up and thought of myself as a young Carrie Bradshaw from the TV show “Sex and the City” in the making. That dream came true in a way when I became Seventeen Magazine’s first Dating Blogger in 2012, sharing insights on my relationship adventures (and drama) as a young woman living in Los Angeles, CA. What I did not realize is that all of those years pouring over magazine content developed a deep appreciation for editorial photography. Likewise, as I bonded with my mother over the latest cycle of Tyra Banks’ “America’s Next Top Model”, I was enthralled by the photography and the creative direction process.
It would be years before I picked up a professional camera. In that time I pursued acting, most notably as a series regular on the show “Blue: A Secret Life” starring Julia Stiles (“10 Things I Hate About You”, “Save the Last Dance”), commercials, and independent projects. In early 2019, I had recently relocated to Atlanta, GA and reconnected with a friend who invited me to a party at Cam Kirk Studios. It was my first time experiencing anything like it! They made photography very cool and instantly the interest sparked. In less than a week a bought a Canon DSLR on Facebook marketplace and in three months I found myself shooting Burna Boy, Davido, Mike WiLL Made-It, and others. These were unpaid projects, and despite the obvious favor that I was experiencing, financial strain plus imposter syndrome really affected my journey. That summer, I had an incredible encounter with the Lord and gave my life to Christ. Later, with fresh vision, new worth, and true faith, I picked up photography again as a self taught Photographer shooting everything from landscape to newborns as I discovered my style and identity as a Photographer.
It has only been this year in 2025 that I’ve made the decision to pursue photography as a career after taking a professional detour in social media branding and marketing. I rebranded my business SOCIAL GRACES CONSULTING to SOCIAL GRACES PHOTOGRAPHY offering headshots, branding, and event photography in the Atlanta area, and I couldn’t be more excited! I’ve combined my film/tv knowledge as an actress, wardrobe designer, set designer, and producer with my branding and marketing background to create really beautiful and informed photography.
Through my lens, I get to show people how beautiful God made them and it’s a very, very special job that feels much more like a ministry. With so much negative self esteem fueled by comparison, social media, AI editing, and public opinion, it’s a blessing to be able to break through the lies and present people with the truth. I’ll never forget my photography client who was a woman with a high ranking leadership position in her company, who looked at the raw unedited photo of herself on my camera window and said “Wow, I never knew that I was this beautiful.” It still brings me to tears. I absolutely love what I do!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The road to photography has had so many potholes and reroutes! As an entrepreneur the expectation is that challenges exist (those who are employees know it too) but as much as you try to expect the unexpected you do not truly know what it feels like until you’re in it. I love this quote from my good friend Ejike Uzoije, who said “I knew it wouldn’t be easy, I just didn’t know what hard looked like.” Although he wasn’t referring to business, I think that sums up the entrepreneurial journey to a tee! I’ve been in business for three years and what made it the most difficult was not knowing what I did not know. If you consider a modern company, there are different departments from marketing and finance, to sales and customer service. When you are an solopreneur like myself, you suddenly become all of those departments in one, and you may be good at a few and not so much at others. Learning how to manage my time and my money, while investing in personal development were some of my biggest challenges.
At first, because I started my business in branding and marketing, I focused on the aesthetics of my business like my social media and website but lacked in operations. Now I’m reestablishing the fundamentals of business (aka sales). If there are no sale, then there is no business, I don’t care how pretty your social media is. I majored on the minors and it cost me, but the most costly business decision I made was disobedience.
I chose branding and marketing for myself, but God had already chosen photography. There is a scripture in Psalm 127: 1 NIV that reads, “Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain.” I was trying to build a business (build a house) in my own strength and all of my hard work was going nowhere, just like a hamster running on a wheel. Now that I am in alignment, referrals and sales have come much easier. We cannot outwork grace. There is just no substitution for that hand of God over your life, and as single mom, I need all of the help that I can get!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am the owner of SOCIAL GRACES PHOTOGRAPHY, most known for a standout headshot! I love to do branding, event, and lifestyle photography, but something undeniably special happens when my lens focuses on the eyes. I’m inspired by vintage Black glamour and the photographs of entertainers like Dorothy Dandridge, Diana Ross, Earth Kitt, and Sidney Poitier. These men and women had a way of communicating to the camera with their eyes that I try to coach and capture with my clients. It’s this elevation that takes an image from being a photograph to a portrait.
My background in tv/film, branding, and marketing have been the secret sauce to my work and I’m grateful for the opportunity to use this knowledge in a fresh and unique way. For this reason, I often refer to myself as a visual storyteller.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
Faith is without a doubt the most important characteristic to my success. I often say that being an entrepreneur has tested my faith more than anything else, and because of that I have grown exponentially. I have learned to trust God for my daily bread and He has always proven Himself faithful. My experience has given depth to my beliefs that no one and nothing can take away.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.socialgracesphoto.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/socialgracesphotography
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brooklynslowe
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/brooklynslowe
Image Credits
SOCIAL GRACES PHOTOGRAPHY
