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Since 1999,
freelance street photographer Debbie Barnett, has been visually documenting her mission trips to places such as Australia,
Belize, Mexico, Peru, Jamaica, Kenya, Malawi and South Africa. A journalism minor in college, Barnett became
intrigued with the idea of communicating through visual arts and media. But it
wasnt until her first journey into a Third World country, that she developed a real passion for reporting these unique experiences, and photography was a natural choice. "Each time I photograph someone, there's
a real connection... we share a moment. Sometimes it's fleeting, but never forgotten. It's an exchange
that's often hard to explain in words. My hope is to capture it on film, so that
others can feel a sense of the hope, fear, joy, pain or beauty of someone they've never met, in a land theyve never visited."
Born and raised
in Southern California, and growing up as the daughter of a professional photographer, Debbie Barnett was introduced at an
early age to the art of seeing life in the form of composition and story-telling. She
discovered that she had a natural eye for framing her subjects in a way that communicates an intimate moment and an untold
story.
Self-taught in
technique and equipment, Barnett still believes that perfect exposure or aperture play second fiddle to the story told in
a portrait. Specializing in street photography and candid portraits... timing
is a must. Needing to keep equipment lightweight, simple and mobile, Barnett
shoots primarily with her favorite camera body, the Canon Rebel 2000. "It's perfect for candid, fast-paced
shooting and I've learned to change lenses, filters and film with lightning speed!"
Currently,
Barnett works part time directing an after school tutoring program for children living in the urban poor communities of Franklin,
Tennessee. In addition, she pursues working as a photographer,
a children's author, a songwriter and a volunteer youth leader for high school students.
Barnett makes
her home in Nashville, Tennessee where she continues her freelance
work both locally and abroad.
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