THIS IS ME

Here is a profile written by Kate McElroy about meeeeeee! 🙂

Franey Miller

By Kate McElroy
Constants are important for success, and for 14-year-old Franey Miller, photography is that constant.
“It’s my escape,” she said.
Miller’s interest in cameras began when she read in a magazine about Flickr, a photography-oriented website hosted by Yahoo!.
Her curiosity was immediately sparked, so she created an account on Flickr and also started a blog, where she said she “met some cool people with similar interests” such as fashion. This community setting led Miller to become exposed to fashion photography, which she now intends to pursue as a career.
“I’d like to work for Vogue or Vanity Fair,” she said. “They’re really creative with their ads.”
Vanity Fair’s ads are not the only thing that attracts Miller’s interest in the magazine, however. Annie Leibovitz, a world-famous portrait photographer, works primarily for Vanity Fair. Miller lists Leibovitz as a very inspirational figure in her life.
Miller said she plans to attend the School of the Art Institute in Chicago because of the many opportunities available there.
“I’d really like to do internships,” she said. “Chicago is a nice atmosphere for fashion; you can really put yourself out there.”
Miller was born and raised in Chicago, so the city holds a personal significance as well.
Her work toward a future in fashion photography has exposed her to many different lines such as Burberry, Juicy Couture and Urban Outfitters. She said that she loves these brands almost as much as she loves her “baby,” a Canon Rebel XT SLR camera.
But while she has both the love of fashion and a high-end camera, she cannot achieve her goal without support from others. This support, she said, comes from her boyfriend Ryan.
“He is so supportive of me,” the high school freshman said. “He takes pictures with me even when he doesn’t want to, and once he carried my tripod 4.7 miles to my house.”
Her boyfriend also offers support in another area of her life—one significantly more difficult than photography.
“I was diagnosed with Tourette’s syndrome,” Miller said. It is a neurological disorder characterized by repetitive‭, ‬stereotyped‭, ‬involuntary movements and vocalizations‭, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke‭.‬
“A lot of people misconceive it. I used to get made fun of a lot. It’s offensive. It really is.”
Miller said that her photography helps her cope with the emotional stress that comes with having the majority of her peers misinterpret her condition.
“I use my photography as an outlet to brush off rude comments and move on.”

yay