Tylor Brents, Documentary Photographer by Tylor

Tylor Brents, Documentary Photographer by Tylor - May 2023 Scholarship Essay

My name is Tylor Brents, and I am currently in the honors program at my dream college, Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). I am studying for a Bachelor of Fine Arts in digital photography and documentary filmmaking. I aim to one day travel the globe capturing images of animals, specifically endangered species like the African Elephant, Cheetah, Black Rhino, and Grévy’s Zebra, in their natural habitats. I want to study animals in the African savanna ecosystem ‐ the Savanna Biome – to raise awareness about this global environmental issue.

I first became interested in taking pictures when I was five - my Papa started showing me these awesome pictures that he had taken at a covered bridge. I could tell it was a hot Georgia summer day by the bright sun and the people in the background swimming and sliding down the wet rocks. The water was glittering on the rocks, and it appealed to me. Soon after, my parents gave me a video camera, and I started making my own "documentaries" by recording myself talking to the camera. As a lifelong insomniac, I learned that doing this also passed the long night hours when I could not sleep or wake anyone else to entertain me. So instead, I would stay up all night filming myself telling stories I made up on the spot.

When Papa died in 2016, we had to move into their home to care for my grandmother, who is disabled and has dementia. My grandma lives in the mountains, and one can see bears and other woodland creatures crossing through the yard. At the top of what would become "our" mountain is a national park where falcons and owls of many types are often seen. I was lucky to inherit Papa's cameras and began filming the wildlife. Much to my mom's chagrin, it wasn't long before the bears would discover our freezers on the screened back deck. Thankfully, my room looks over the rear deck and the woods beyond. I am an insomniac, so I often heard the bears trying to steal the freezer as it bumped when they dragged it down the back steps, and I would alert my parents and then grab my camera to film the hilarity out a window. I started recording Mom's interactions with the bears, mostly her yelling at them to stop whatever bad thing they were doing and them ignoring her while I giggled in the background. The interactions between nature and humans were begging to be filmed and photographed.

About a year after my Papa died, I took a career test as part of my standardized testing. The test confirmed what my parents suspected – I was made to be a filmmaker. My parents eventually got me better equipment, and I took online filmmaking, photography, macro photography, and art and design classes. In addition, I attended a week‐long art program at Kennesaw State in digital animation. In the meantime, I was taking pictures of every frog, bug, flower, and squirrel I saw. I know that graduating from SCAD is what I need to achieve my goals.

In ten years, I'd like to be living in the savanna of South Africa and making my documentary about the native wildlife. This scholarship will greatly help me to reach my goal. I am excited about my journey toward achieving my career aspiration of being a digital photographer and documentary filmmaker. I am in the honors program at one of the world's most prestigious art and design schools, where I will learn from and partner with global businesses and my local community. This will lead to a permanent paid career capturing the humor of animals while saving them from extinction.