About
Brenda Tharp

A widely published photographer and writer, Brenda wrote and produced the acclaimed book CREATIVE NATURE AND OUTDOOR PHOTOGRAPHY, published by Amphoto Books in 2003. She is featured in The Best of Nature Photography, and has written many articles on creative photography for magazines and e-zines including Outdoor Photographer, Shutterbug's Outdoor and Nature Photography, Apogee Magazine, Photo Migrations, Petersen's, and more.

Her award-winning photographs are published internationally, in magazines, brochures, ads, and books. Clients have included Audubon, British Gas, Canon USA, Kodak, Chronicle Books, Michelin Travel Guides, National Geographic, Sierra Club, Sunset Magazine, and a variety of greeting card, calendar and paper products clients, including Pomegranate, Healthy Planet, Chromazone, Audubon, and Sierra Club.

Brenda began her career in photography back when she was a teenager - learning the basics of black and white processing and printing from her Dad, then moving on to color transparencies. Photography was just a hobby then, yet she took many local workshops and seminars while going to school to earn her computer science degree. Determined to excel in this wonderful craft, she pursued it passionately, making photographs every chance she got between work and school. In her early twenties, she was having solo shows of her work at various nature centers and educational facilities, and winning awards in group shows. Yet still she continued taking workshops and seminars to improve her skills and vision. Then, in 1984, she went full-time into photography, moving to Colorado to begin a new chapter in her life.

"I wanted to pursue photography because it gave me a license to be curious about life, which I was anyway. I could explore many things with a camera, and see them more deeply, but beyond that, I could then share what I had experienced with others who saw the work. That was truly amazing to me, the power of photography to cause a reaction in the viewer."

Brenda first pursued commercial photography, or as she puts it, "anything that anyone wanted to pay me for, I'd photograph it. Well, almost anything..." She did photography for public relations firms, advertising agencies, local magazines, non-profits, graphic designers, and for her ever-growing stock files. She continues to photography a variety of subjects today, although her specialties are travel, outdoor and nature photography. "It's the light, color, design and gesture of things that attracts me, regardless of the subject itself, so I am open to seeing the world around me and photographing it," she says.

Early in her photography career, Brenda realized she had a gift for teaching. With positive feedback from her first students, she pursued this idea and within just a few short years was teaching several weekend workshops each year, privately. Upon moving to California in 1990, she continued her teaching with Pt. Reyes Field Seminars. Soon after, she began teaching at Santa Fe Photographic Workshops, Maine Photo Workshops, and with Rocky Mountain School of Photography. Since 1998, Brenda has also been conducting international photography workshops - in western Ireland, Italy, and Mexico. Brenda is currently teaching three on-line courses with Betterphoto.

Her stock photography collection is online at AGPIX.com and she is represented by Getty and Danita Delimont Stock Agencies.