With Charlie Brophy

Hey Charlie, asl?

Oh hello there. 32 / F / Naarm

Ugh, le feu!

Said like a true Aries rising

Ha, precisely... how’s your morning been today?

My morning has been glorious. I started today with my daily ritual of park with pooch Romeo, spring water, pilates & [extra hot] latte [with honey]. I’m slightly in love with my neighborhood & the change of seasons – there is something in the air.

That sounds like a morning well spent, hi vibrational! Tell us why you love your neighborhood so much - if you were to show us around, what would we get up too?

Honestly, the vibes are high in Fitzroy North. People feel open & I love the cute community feel. It gives off quaint village vibes yet it’s on the peripherals of the city. If we gallivanted for 24 hours in my hood, you could expect: a walk in the gardens with takeaways from GLORY US, a sensory experience ‘cos that’s my jam, a meal at Neighbourhood Wine [fav d8 spot], a tarot reading with moi & a plethora of lols.

Sounds GLORY US, I’m in! Big hugs to Fitzroy North + the gorgeous community there.

You’re a few days out from your show, how’s it all coming along?

This is true. The movement is totally in motion & it’s been a colorful journey. I’ve really enjoyed tapping into a playful process in a tactile way, using my hands & placing less emphasis on tech to produce my work. All of the images have been shot on analog film & I’ve been playing with collage, textures, material, gold flakes & spray paint to communicate undertones. It’s been a portal of creativity that has inspired a lot of lifeforce, as I’ve  remembered the passion that inspired my work in the first place.

I know you can’t share all the details about your show, but can you let us know what inspired you? Why is this show close to your heart?

FULL CIRCLE is the name of the exhibition, which speaks to my own journey of leaving behind what I knew in all areas of life & returning with a refreshed perspective, photography included. My last exhibition ‘Motherland’ was in 2018, it was an ode to my Indian ancestry & connection to the land that I’ve spent many years roaming & capturing on film. A lot has shifted since that time, universally & within.

In my early career as a photographer I essentially did that thing where you turn your passion into your full time job and then the spark dissipates. When I didn't feel aligned to do commercial work anymore, I explored other paths of curiosities / creativity / careers in eccentric pockets of the world.

What inspired this work was to return, full circle to an authentic place of creating for pleasure & play. Life can be layered with complexities so becoming less rigid in the adult mind, stripping back to a flow state & accepting the imperfections along the way has been medicine for me. I believe that there’s something worth celebrating about capturing intimate portraits in seemingly insignificant moments. A private oasis shared between the subject, the lens & the viewer. It’s difficult to see such raw imagery with censorship so rife these days; it feels special to present vulnerable moments on the walls, without restriction. So you can expect the photographs to be intimate & experimental… with a touch of psychedelics. 

FULL CIRCLE is important to me because it’s a reclamation of my journey as an artist. It looks like my classic portraiture aesthetic but with a perspective shift, which feels fitting. New era. New feels. In a way, it’s almost like a homecoming.

What a beautiful sentiment, and a potent moment in time for you. I can’t wait to see what transpires in FULL CIRCLE. Have you noticed your style has changed over the years? And can you tell us a bit about your early days?

We want to hear the coming of age story……

Thank you — the potency of this moment does feel palpable & I’m so here for it. I think the style in which I photograph has a similar essence yet what feels different is the method to the magic. For example, I have shot many nudes on film over the last 16 years but in more recent times, I have explored them through double exposures / collage / cut & paste. I have woven in bold splashes of color through mixed mediums that speak to the multi-faceted shades & luminosity that are moving me at present. Sharing snippets of my life through visuals, writing & storytelling has been a constant so in that sense, my work remains reflective of personal themes & muses close to me.

And.. The coming of age story, can we hear it?

A succinct summary of the early days would show me as a teenager developing my own black & white negatives in high school & spending every spare moment in the darkroom. I was obsessed with exploring youth & sexuality through the lens as I was ‘coming out’ at 16, at an all girls private school in Melbourne. I used the camera as a way to satisfy my thirst to understand the world & people at a deeper level; I detested small talk & the existentialist in me had a lot of questions that craved mirrors outside of my formal [yet queer] family. Finding ‘my people’ through queer community in my late teens helped me to feel a sense of belonging which inspired all of my early photography of muses, lovers, clubs & travel. RIP Tumblr which was the main place I shared my portraits with the world & how I went on to collaborate pretty early on with brands like New Balance, Urban Outfitters, Wrangler, SUKU etc. When I turned 23 I decided to give it all up, to discover more dynamic parts of my being & followed a more spiritual calling that inspired me to redirect my course. I spent years wandering overseas, becoming a yoga teacher, bodyworker, biohacker, naturalist; I guess the seeker in me was looking for insights beyond a familiar aperture.

I’m looking forward to the Finding Charlie book, or movie - let me know if I can get the pre-realese…. What advice would you give young people wanting to get into photography or starting out as creatives? 

“Finding Charlie” was the name of my blog & I’d love to do an archival book at some stage. 

When I was in primary school the father of a friend asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. At eight I knew, “I want to be a photographer!” He laughed & told me that there was no way to make a living from being an artist. This could have deflated me but I actually feel that it lit a fire in my belly to prove him [& society] otherwise. My point is, if you have the calling to create, don’t let anyone steer you away from your path; follow it when it taps you on the shoulder & execute it before it slaps you in the face. My brother Dan once told me “It is a disservice to the creative God’s to not channel your lifeforce into something as spectacular as your creative desires.” In the case of photography as a medium, shoot, shoot, shoot, stay curious & uncover a distinctive style that lights you up & expresses your unique ‘youness’.   

And while you’re at it, read the ‘Artist’s Way’ by Julia Cameron.

And lastly, what's on the horizon for Charlie Brophy?

Hmm. Great question. If you know, hit me up! Ha. In all honesty, I feel like I’m living my dream. In the process of coming full circle, I have learnt that life is seasoned with twists & turns & the only inevitable is impermanence… so I’ve been totally embracing this wild & undulating ride. I’ve been enjoying epic opportunities to collaborate with like-hearted humans that have launched small businesses within the wellness or alternative practice spheres, so I'm calling in more of that. Helping them bring their visions to life through images is something that I am incredibly passionate about. With an increasing emphasis on social media & an abundance of content being consumed daily, there is a need to produce not just aesthetically pleasing visuals but something that moves people to feel at a visceral level. Humans are hungry for connection & presence & the way I like to collaborate with clients has this foundation, at the base. To re-meet my role as a creative director & photographer at a stage of life where value alignment is essential, it’s a joy to co-create something with a pulse. In the meantime, my daily rituals ground me & having spaciousness to be a dynamic diva outside of my work flow, allows me to fill up my love cup. 

When I moved back to Melbourne 2 years ago, I birthed CEREMONY which is an unconventional wedding business specializing in film photography for eccentric lovers & electric moments. It’s celebrating connection for humans who are cut from an eclectic cloth; I’m tarred with a similar bold brush & authentically expressing that is at the core of what we do. I’ve had the honour of being booked for a wedding in Sweden [2025] & Italy [2026] so one thing I can predict is that the open road [ft. film cameras slung around my neck] is calling my name. Affogato in Italy, Mish?

Here for all the affagatto’s with you, love me an international affogato mission!

We’re on a mish. x