Sophia Chew is the main character in every universe
Photographer and digital artist Sophia Chew specializes in self-portraiture, inserting herself into fictional worlds inspired by her favorite books, series and films. Her work has caught the attention of millions of social media users and major brands too. Photos courtesy of Sophia Chew
Sophia Chew isn’t shy about her fandom.
The photographer and digital artist uses her talents to showcase pieces inspired by her favorite entertainment content. The “Shadow and Bone” book series has been a constant source of inspiration for her work, which has caught the eyes of fans across the internet and a massive media distributor too.
In 2023, when the series’ television adaptation was in production for its second season, Chew received a mysterious direct message from the “Shadow and Bone” Instagram account, claiming they had a proposition for her. She would later fly to Los Angeles and host the season premiere on Netflix’s social media accounts, putting her in front of the cast, crew and author herself, Leigh Bardugo.
“I consider myself so incredibly lucky because I am exactly like every other person online who has an Instagram account and posts about things that they like. I just so happen to post things that I make. But at the core of everything, it is me just being obsessed and not being able to like things like a normal person. If I like a book series, I’m gonna go all in for it. I’m gonna know everything about it.”
From the Grishaverse to Camp Half-Blood to Arrakis, the freshman film and television production major has transported herself across fictional planes from the comfort of her bedroom with the help of a camera and Adobe Photoshop. Her self-portraiture work centers around themes of escapism and draws inspiration from the young adult fantasy genre. Not only has her content accumulated millions of likes on her @shots_by_sophia accounts, but Chew has been recruited to collaborate with companies such as Warner Bros., Adobe, Meta, UNICEF and Marvel.
Chew, who is pursuing the cinematography emphasis of her major, didn’t grow up with a camera in her hand. Going viral and hosting series premieres wasn’t always in the cards. It all started in March 2020 when her school in Seattle, Washington, was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She found a silver lining in being confined to her home and let it seep into her work.
“If the pandemic didn’t happen, my work would not have the themes that it does now. What else can you do when you’re home and watching Netflix and Hulu and reading all the books that you can? I found myself leaning towards a lot of things like fantasy and fiction, especially within young adult literature. That was really inspiring because (this literature) was able to take my mind off of things that were happening that weren’t as fun, like Zoom school and having to wake up to just go on my computer.”
She began practicing on a Nikon D60 camera in order to learn framing, shutter speed and ISO levels, even serving as her own model despite having three siblings — two of whom are her triplets. Soon, she was absorbing Photoshop tutorials on YouTube as a way to alter her photographs, which she called daunting and intimidating.
“When you’re limited to only photographing inside your house, you have to think outside the box in some ways,” Chew said. “Because I was confined to such bland backgrounds and settings, I was really just trying to figure out what I had. I used editing as a way to elevate the space that I was contained to.”
Outside of film and books, Chew has drawn inspiration from the music of Taylor Swift, specifically the album “Folklore,” which Chew called her “quarantine album.” Before attending Chapman, Chew recruited her sister and some friends for her fan film, which brought the storytelling of her song “Betty” to life. The film was shot over four days across various Seattle locations and is Chew’s most-watched YouTube video, with over 543,000 thousand views.
“I was so overwhelmed by the positive reactions, not that I was expecting anything bad, but when you make content online for a while, you have to anticipate a certain level of counter-response to what you do,” Chew told The Panther. “Even when I got to school here during Orientation Week, people were like, ‘Did you make the ‘Betty’ film?’ That was one of the coolest experiences ever, and I made a lot of friends through that as well.”
Chew arrived in Orange, and she noted that the sunshine of Old Towne Orange has taught her that Seattle seasonal depression is, in fact, a real thing. But, she’s also developed an appreciation for her hometown now that she’s left.
She wants to continue working within the coming-of-age realm and tell stories about relationships, identity and teenage angst because “everyone feels angst at some point in their lives.” A Chapman education has helped her develop practical skills, but Chew’s main point of improvement has been something far more reflexive.
“It took a little bit for me to sort of find a personal voice. I feel like, especially now when people are so active online, things like growing a personal style are so important to people. It’s sort of something that figures itself out rather than something you just establish. I still think that’s something I’m developing and growing right now.”
Chew is looking to focus on long-form video content as a director of photography, but she also wants to try out directing too. She might even pursue a path of interviewing after her experiences at premieres. Even if assignments and film sets occupy her days, Chew still finds time to create content for her accounts — this time from her cramped dorm room. Luckily, her roommates have been very supportive about letting her have the room to film.
“I consider myself very lucky because I don't really feel pressured to meet a certain quota,” Chew said. “I make things depending on my mood or what I’m interested in at the time, which gives me a lot of freedom. Even when I got to college, I knew I wasn’t going to put pressure on myself… I do love the social media, content creation and interaction aspect of what I do online. I think it will always be a very big part of me, even if it’s a little bit less right now.”
Chew uploads all of her content to her Instagram, TikTok and YouTube accounts under the username @shots_by_sophia.
“I consider myself very lucky because I don’t really feel pressured to meet a certain quota. I make things depending on my mood or what I’m interested in at the time, which gives me a lot of freedom. Even when I got to college, I knew I wasn’t going to put pressure on myself… I do love the social media, content creation and interaction aspect of what I do online. I think it will always be a very big part of me, even if it’s a little bit less right now.”
