AN award-winning student photographer is one of 12 from around the world to be awarded a place at a prestigious New York college.
Rachel Brown’s latest exhibition, shot in Huddersfield, has won her two top photo awards.
The success of her graduation exhibition, which is currently on show in London, has guaranteed her a place at the New York School of Visual Arts.
It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the former Royds Hall High School pupil.
But the Birkby student now has to sell the exhibition to raise funds to go to New York.
Rachel said: “I am so excited to be going to New York and to be given the chance to learn even more from the top arts photographers in the world.
“I feel so lucky to be given this chance; it is amazing and life feels a bit of a whirlwind at the moment.
“But I have to raise funds to get out there and study because, unfortunately on a student visa in America I cannot work.
“I come from a very working class Huddersfield family who do what they can to support me.
“But I have to sell this work to take the next step in my career.”
It means her award-winning exhibition ‘I want to be just like you’ is now for sale.
Her imaginative work captures opulence and glamour in a series of dream-like cinematic shots.
The photographs were taken in Huddersfield earlier this year.
Rachel will fly out to New York next month to start her course.
She will be mentored by famous art photographers such as Gregory Crewdson and Collier Schorr, who sell their work for in excess of $60,000 a picture.
Rachel, 23, added: “To be taught by them is going to be an unbelievable experience.
“I feel so lucky to have been given this place. I am one of 12 people from around the world chosen to study there.
“It is an intensive course for one year, but when I come back I want to do an exhibition in Huddersfield, back in my home town.”
From the age of 14, Rachel worked hard to gain more knowledge and experience of photography.
Rachel won the Examiner Junior Journalist of the Year competition in 1999.
She went on to sit a BTec National Diploma at Batley School of Art and Design, which cemented her passion and led to her degree in London.
She has already completed work experience with fashion photographer Nick Knight, where she assisted him on a shoot for fashion magazine Vogue.
But it was her Huddersfield project that has won her two prestigious awards – the Judge’s Choice Award at the AOP Student Photographer of the Year and the Photo Fusion Graduate Award, which secured her a place at the New York School of Visual Arts.
For more information about the exhibition visit www.rachel-brown.com
