Check out Dylan Harris’s Artwork

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dylan Harris.

Dylan, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I was born November 29th, 1991 in Springfield, Ohio. Only two short months later we moved to Ocala, Florida for my Dad’s (Mike Harris) work; he has been in the Aerospace industry since his early twenties. At the age of nine, my Dad took a promotion and moved my Mom (Patricia Holmes) and sister (Megan Harris) to Phoenix, Arizona. By this time, I had already developed a strong passion for sports which consumed most of my attention. I played them all, but I enjoyed soccer the most. I remember the move to Phoenix being very difficult for me in the beginning. Making friends, starting at a new school and trying to fit-in with my teammates. Moving forward a few years, my parents split. I was now in middle school, and like much of my peers, I lived between two homes and became a product of divorce.

This was a turning point in my early life because I went from being your prototypical “good kid” to questioning authority and misbehaving consistently all the way into my adult life. I was lost after graduating high school. I had successes as a soccer and football player but I didn’t have the grades to get into college, let alone get a scholarship. At the last minute, I received an offer to play soccer and football at Scottsdale community college as a duel sport athlete. All my friends and teammates were attending/playing at big colleges around the country and I was stuck at a community college; that was my attitude at the time at least. Preseason went well, but once classes started, I found myself skipping classes and quickly withdrew from school. Just like that my sports career was over.

In my story this will be the biggest turning point, and is the start of what I like to say is Life, Part 2. In my mind I had no identity without sports. I was just another young kid with no college degree trying to find work I could care about. From 19 to 22 years old I worked more jobs than I can count. Pizza delivery, furniture mover, machinist, shipping and receiving and the list goes on. During this time, at twenty years old, I took the opportunity to get a girl dog named Sammie whose owners left the country and did not want to bring her with them. This changed everything for me as I started becoming responsible in ways I wasn’t previously. Soon after Sammie came into my life, I discovered hiking. It started on Phoenix’s South Mountain and soon it turned into long road trips all over Arizona on the weekends. In the begging I simply loved running to the top of hills and mountains with my dog. During this time my good friend Sam Weber gave me her point-and-shoot camera after I had told her that I wanted to start to takes pictures of my hikes, not knowing this would trigger an obsession for years to come. With big mountains on my mind and a desire for a new situation I moved to Colorado Springs, CO on a whim at the age of 22. My Cousin (Chris Harris) had a room open up at the college house he was living at and within a month I was at the doorstep with only my important belongings and my dog. The first job that came my way was at a burger restaurant in downtown called Skirted Heifer. Without hesitation, I took it.

The owners name is Suzette, and she became one of my biggest supporters and mentors. I worked for her and her family business for the next four years while I self willingly received a college degree in journalism. School was where I had my first formal experience with a camera and it wasn’t long until I was signing up for every photography class my major would allow. I signed myself up for a post-processing class that required a camera that could interchange lenses which meant I needed a new camera. My boss, Suzette, gave me a zero-interest loan so I could get a full-frame DSLR with a kit lens. Since getting that camera I have been using photography to leverage support for my adventures in the outdoors. In the last five years I have walked the Pacific Crest Trail, Colorado Trail, Arizona Trail, Sierra High Route and biked the Atlantic Trail and The Transamerica Trail all while carrying that camera. I have photographed a wide variety jobs from tourism in the Dominican Republic to surf on the Baja coastline. Most of the time living frugally out of my truck with my dog Sammie. Nowadays I am happy to be back in the Arizona desert where my connections are landing me to freelance commercial work around the Valley. Even though I’m receiving photography jobs consistently right now I have yet to make it my full-time job, as I’m working part time at an outdoor retailer. As for the future, I have a few different photography projects up my sleeve that I can’t mention quite yet and I will most likely be bike packing Continental Divide Route this upcoming summer.

I welcome any aspiring photographers or young professionals to contact me with questions about my story or just for someone to talk to. It isn’t easy to charge towards unconventional careers or lifestyles without doubt creeping in.

We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I am a freelance Photographer out of Phoenix, AZ. I am most recognized for my long-distance backpacking and bike packing trips which I capture by camera. When I am home in Phoenix, I photograph music, business and product. When people view my photography, I want them to have sense of truth about what they are looking at. What I mean by truth is that it’s my goal is to provide people with an accurate representation of what I saw at the time and hopefully an opportunity imagines what it felt like. It might sound cliché, but I believe that my photography is proof that the world is art, not the other way around. If my photographs can inspire someone to plan an epic trip or even just go for a day-hike on their local trail than I’m a happy bearded man.

Have things improved for artists? What should cities do to empower artists?
I think that It’s a great time to be an artist! There has never been more opportunity to acquire the right tools, to advertise yourself and to collaborate with the other artists who inspire you. I think the problem that most people are having is that they are relying too heavily on their skill to gain them notoriety and growth, which in such an overpopulated industry is difficult, and not enough time on building themselves as a legit business. The best advice I’ve been given since starting to take photography seriously a quote from a big time investor, “Show me a person who is following their passion, and I’ll show you a person that I’m not investing in.” What I got from this is that it’s totally okay to follow your passion, but don’t expect your art to speak for itself and instead speak for your art. Promote yourself!

I think a fundamental problem with our industry today is how much jobs are being outsourced. This is not only for artists, but for all forms of business. I think the solution isn’t up to the city, but for the artists themselves to do the research, and understand your product and what it is worth in the economy you’re in. The more knowledge we have as a collective, the more confidence we can have in our pricing skill.

Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
You can view my work on Instagram @dylanharris.photo and my website dylanharrisphotography.com. You can support my work by going to patreon.com and searching ‘Dylan Harris Photography.’ There you can donate to my adventures.

Contact Info:

• Website: dylanharrisphotography.com
• Phone: 4808405299
• Email: dylharrisphotography@gmail.com
• Instagram: dylanharris.photo

Image Credit:
Dylan Harris Photography

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