Brenda Tharp

For over 20 years, Brenda has used her photographs of the world to celebrate its beauty, and inspire others to protect what we have. Brenda grew up exploring the woods, lakes, and coastlines of New Jersey and New England and her family traveled regularly throughout the eastern U.S., camping, hiking, backpacking, and canoeing. She spent most of her childhood engaging with nature in some form or another and learning about animal behavior. When her father taught her some photography at 13, Brenda soon combined her love for nature with her newfound passion, and several years later her adventure began as a freelance photographer, teacher, and writer.

Early on, Brenda studied photojournalism with several National Geographic photographers and she applies those storytelling skills in photographing both the natural and the cultural world around her. She loves capturing moments in wildlife and in the landscape and brings strong observation skills and in-depth experience to the journey to help others do the same. Brenda has taught for years with Maine Photo Workshops and Santa Fe Photographic Workshops, and has led eight photo expeditions to Alaska, along with many other expeditions to Cuba, Morocco, Italy, Myanmar, Bhutan, and the U.S. She has brought her images and experiences together in informational and inspirational lectures and is passionate about helping others make their best pictures. Brenda has also written three how-to books on nature and outdoor photography, and her photographs are continually used in a variety of books and other publications.