Check Out Sophie Prettyman-Beauchamp’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sophie Prettyman-Beauchamp.

I’ve always had multi-hyphenate tendencies. My grandma instilled a love of creating and documenting in me at a young age, and passed down her Olympus OM-2n camera to me when I was older. As an angsty-yet-shy young feminist and garage rock/punk-loving teen, I kept my ambitions of becoming a music journalist/photographer and fronting a band to myself. I started coming into my own when I left my hometown of Downey to study film at UC Irvine and subsequently joined KUCI, the college radio station where I found my people. I DJed there for about four years, during which I scored as many press passes and interviews as I could, covering local shows and festivals alike. This allowed me to meet, interview, and document some of my longtime heroes.

During and after the pandemic, I spent two years writing for Atwood Magazine, where I interviewed some of my favorite artists and bands like Shamir and Mannequin Pussy, cultivating real conversations that sometimes led to us sharing emotional, genuinely human moments. It also allowed me to interview the legendary Doug Martsch of Built To Spill and connect with international bands like Australia’s Tropical F*ck Storm. I really found myself as a music photographer, interviewer, and writer when I covered Treefort for the first time in 2021–one of the most supportive and community-building experiences of my life thus far. Additionally, I moved to Long Beach and was introduced to the friendly faces of the punk and DIY music scene down here. I also met James Duran, another music photographer and founder of the LA music blog Be In A Band Or Die, who further brought me into the LA DIY/indie/punk community and became one of my best friends.

I’ve been writing and shooting for Be In A Band ever since, and have additionally written for and or had my photos in AltPress, Broken Pencil Magazine (cover shoots with Vera Drew and Dril), Nylon, and more. I found even more of a community of like-minded, for-the-music photographers in Marquee Marauders Club, who’ve given me opportunities to shoot some of my heroes live, like Bikini Kill, Liz Phair, and the Breeders. This month, I’ll be starting my first official tour manager gig with The Paranoyds as they support The Kills this month.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
As a teen, there were people in my life who made me feel like I wasn’t capable or talented enough to be in the music world. Certain experiences during this time made me avoid the scene entirely for several years. When I did return, I had to learn how to balance being a full-time college student, working, and caring for my mental health. In these early days of music photography/journalism, I faced various forms of sexism–at the very first show I shot in 2017, a stranger tried to convince me to let him shoot the show with my camera. I’ve also been met with some physical harassment/intimidation as well as attempted grooming. That’s all kind of par for the course to some extent, unfortunately, but I refused to internalize it or let it distract me from doing what I love–if anything, these infuriating experiences further convinced me that documenting and telling stories from my perspective mattered.

During the pandemic, I was unemployed (aside from miscellaneous gigs ranging from product modeling to COVID sanitation on TV sets) for about a year and a half, and I ended a long-term relationship. Luckily, the music scene and my love of it and my writing/photography helped me redefine my sense of self, my values, and my independence.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m probably best known for my live music photography and band portraits (mostly indie/punk/other rock subgenres), shot on film and digital. I’ve been told my use of vivid, popping colors makes me stand out and that I take a visual approach that is silly, fun, and artsy while maintaining an editorial stylishness. I like to make images that look like stills from a movie: artful and alive in a way that hopefully makes people feel the indescribable, soaring feelings of being there, witnessing a moment. The way I can connect with subjects and interviewees and build repertoire with them is something unique and authentic I’m proud of–I think that my personable nature and emphasis on work as play are some things that make my creations and the way I create stand out.

While photography, video, and writing about music are my main mediums, I also collage and draw–sometimes I make flyers, and I recently designed a shirt recently for Bay Area band Shutups that I’m pretty proud of. I also front an art-punk band called Pop Hysteria–we just played our first show recently, at a gay clown punk wedding in the streets of Long Beach, and it was the best feeling ever.

Some of my most favorite works are my portraits/photo diaries of Shutups taken over the past two years of being friends with them, the Broken Pencil Magazine cover shoot I did with queer/trans “The People’s Joker” filmmaker Vera Drew, and some live Super 8 footage I edited together from Joyce Manor’s first-ever arena show last January–that was probably one of the most visceral music journalist/documentarian moments of my life. In general though, I’m most proud of myself for making my younger self proud, working with and shooting artists I’ve looked up to and been shaped by. Little me would think current me is so cool, and that’s all I could really want.

We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I’ve just kept shooting bands I love and believe in and indulge my curiosity for music often–I typically go to at least two shows a week, if not more. I’m also a believer in faking it ’til you make it: some of the coolest opportunities I’ve had to meet favorite creatives and take photos of them have been a result of acting confident like I should be there, which people typically respond well to. So my idea of luck requires persistence, taking action, and a grateful attitude. Resilience, resourcefulness, a healthy support system, and being true to myself have brought me this far.

Photography (especially film, especially live music) is very reliant on the timing and luck it takes to get the shot. I’ve also been lucky enough to meet and befriend people who understand me and see my enthusiasm–I am forever thankful to the folks who have believed in me and my vision from the jump, who’ve told their friends about me, thus bringing me further opportunities. It’s all about that kismet right time, right place, right people, type of stuff. There is merit in doing something for the love of it, even when you feel like what you’re doing is aimless/pointless–this is some of the best advice I’ve received from another photographer. I’ve had great adventures as a result of this, saying yes a lot, building community, staying after hours, being kind, and being my authentic self. It’s always about the love of the people and the music for me, capturing moments for people to relive and make their own meaning out of. It’s visceral magic.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sophieprettyman-beauchamp.myportfolio.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meryl.strep.throat/

Image Credits
1st photo (of me taking a photo and a crowd surfer almost landing on me): Isaiah Castillo