Rising Stars: Meet Bryn Sharp

Today we’d like to introduce you to Bryn Sharp.

Hi Bryn, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself. 
I am originally from Boulder, Colorado. Growing up, I loved being outside. I participated in many outdoor activities, including skiing, rock climbing, hiking, camping, kayaking, and more. When I was 10, my family moved to Carbondale, Illinois, where I lived until I moved to Tucson, Arizona for college in 2015. Southern Illinois is where I first started exploring my interest in photography, although it was at a rudimentary level. I participated in several film camps where I learned about photography and filmmaking. My parents bought me my first camera, a Canon EOS Rebel 1 when I started high school. At this time, I did not have a certain subject matter that I focused on in my images – I was simply trying to capture the world. In college, I started learning how to capture sports and adventure photography. When I studied abroad in Chile in 2017, I started exploring how I could use photography to bring the world closer together – by showcasing parts of the world to those who may never get a chance to visit there themselves. This is where my main purpose as a photographer started to develop – to show the world in its true colors to inspire social and environmental change. More recently my photography has taken a bit of a pause, as I am a new, single mom. I am still capturing images and compiling a portfolio, but my current focus is my 6-month-old son. I am excited to get back into the photography scene soon so that I can continue to inspire others through my images. 

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
One of my biggest challenges was also one of my greatest blessings. In early November 2022, I found out I was pregnant with a baby boy. While this was one of the most exciting moments of my life, it also meant that I could no longer do many of the activities I did to capture my images – I had to put venture such as rock climbing, backpacking, mountaineering, and other extreme sports on hold. Since my son has been born, I have been slowly reintegrating myself into these activities, but I now have his well-being to focus on. Now, the challenge has become finding a balance between my baby boy, my photography, my day job, graduate school (which I am starting in January 2024), and my other hobbies. 

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a photographer. I use images to inspire others and to inspire positive change in the world. My imagery focuses on people – their stories and their daily lives – and nature – from vast landscapes to tiny critters. I am most proud of the variety within my images and the untold stories that now have a voice through my photography. Photography is not my day job. I am not paid for the images I take. I take pictures simply because I love the power of images and want to help inspire and educate others by exposing them to people and places they would otherwise never meet. 

Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
In the past, I put myself through many risky situations to capture my images – I would climb mountains, enter not-so-safe neighborhoods, and take multi-day treks. While I would consider myself a risk-taker, I am also a risk analyzer. I know how much I am willing to risk and am very careful not to cross that line. Additionally, my level of risk-taking is malleable; it changes depending on where I am at in my life. For example, when I was younger and did not have a son, how much risk I was willing to take was higher. Now, however, that I have someone else depending on me, I take much fewer risks and am much more calculative in my risk-taking when deciding how to capture my images. 

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bryn.sharp.photography?igsh=MTQ3M3JobHZtaWNiNg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brynsharpphotography/
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/bryn-sharp-528836132
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/new.mama.fitness?igsh=ZGNjOWZkYTE3MQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

Image Credits
Andrew Sharp
Bryn Sharp