Jessica Bryan - Photographer
By Lucie Stevens
Jessica Bryan’s candid nature makes me like her immediately. When I ask her why she started taking photos, she replies, “To be honest, as much as I’d like to be, I’m not that great at drawing, painting, singing, acting or playing a musical instrument. Photography seems to be the only creative medium I’m good at.” A blessing in disguise, I think. It would be a shame if Jessica was distracted into pursuing another medium. Her photos speak clearly enough about the talent she’s been refining for the past two years.
Jessica specialises in shooting live bands. She loves capturing the “atmosphere and intensity of what the person is feeling on stage.” It was photographing live music which inspired Jessica to become a professional photographer. The first really good photo she ever took was of Clint Boge from The Butterfly Effect. “Knowing that I took one awesome picture just led me to want to take more and more.”
Jessica doesn’t just limit herself to capturing live performers though. She also has an interest in art based photography. Things like silhouettes and quirky compositions allow her to “experiment and show things in a different light to how you would see them normally.”
Stylistically, Jessica enjoys using lots of long exposures, capturing the ‘grey areas’ which in her opinion, are often disregarded. “Even with portraiture…I think the subject matter is just as important as what surrounds it.” Combining this belief with the view that the world is Jessica’s canvas, waiting for her to point her lens and capture it, results in engaging and inspiring images.
But Jessica’s philosophy on photography remains practical. Although she believes a creative mind is important in taking a great photo, technical knowledge, training and above all, practice, are fundamental. “It really all comes down to trial and error, which is something I appreciate most about photography.” With that kind of pragmatic attitude, coupled with Jessica’s refreshing honestly, I feel certain she’ll have great success as a photographer.
To view Jessica’s work, visit www.myspace.com/jessicabryanphotography
