Mallory Barry
Mallory Barry closely listened to her ninth-grade photography teacher, Ms. Daly, as she introduced her to the world of photography. Sparks flew and she knew this was it. She slowly learned the mechanics of a camera, what she liked to photograph, and what she didn’t. She began to take photos of her friends and fell in love with portrait photography.
She learned the standards of photography, and what goes into composing a normal, acceptable, standard portrait. However, this left a feeling of dissatisfaction.
Growing up in Birmingham, Ala., Barry lived surrounded by a community that did not value the arts as much as she did. People were comfortable in the ordinariness of normal life. However, this only grew Barry’s strive towards remarkable creativity.
Barry, 19, is a sophomore who studies studio art with an emphasis in photography at UA and has a following of 27,000 on Instagram (@malbphotography) for her colorful, sparkly, visually fascinating portrait photography. Her photography matches her long dyed hair that often changes color, and her fashion featuring vintage vibrant clothing.
Barry’s work, as she described was, “just pretty, eye-catching, weird photography”, and this gained a following based on her unique aesthetic.
She uses lots of creative ways to add a special flair to her photos. “I want it to be more common to take photos in weird ways, unusual ways. Lens filters, weird editing. It gets old seeing the same style over and over again,” she said.
Barry's photography account on Instagram grew at an exponential rate, going from 1,000 to 27,000
followers in only one year. Now suddenly she had a platform to express her creativity to thousands.
There was a point where Barry realized that with her platform and popularity, her photos could evolve from “just pretty,” to having an “impactful message, while still being aesthetic,” she said.
Photography and the arts can have profound effects and spread a message. Barry has specifically focused some of her projects on female empowerment and LGBTQ+ pride.
One photo series, “Play Like A Girl,” focused on women's empowerment through the representation of women in sports. Barry photographed a series of women in sports including basketball, tennis, swimming, and others. However, the twist to this series was that an object in each sport was completely bedazzled to sparkly perfection. “I felt really proud that I hand-built all the props for this series, and came up with the concept,” she said.
The basketball photoshoot, in particular, went the most viral and had the most views of any photo shoot, reaching about ten million viewers.
Barry also incorporates members of the LGBTQ+ community into her photoshoots. “Photography is a way to physically create representation for underrepresented groups. Whenever I have the chance to show certain groups in a way that is beautiful and aesthetic. I feel like that's helpful to the movements. I've had people DM me and thank me for taking photos, just because they feel represented and beautiful,” she said.
Emma Stahley, a subject in one of Barry’s photo series said, “Being photographed by Mallory is empowering, and she makes you feel super comfortable the whole time.”
Barry’s imagination and ambition benefit her wherever she goes, but it’s not always easy to pursue a career based on artistic creativity. “I am scared all the time, every single time I post, every day. So scared of everything in photography,” she said. “Sometimes I wish there was a clear-cut path, but there’s not and sometimes that feels really paralyzing because there are too many options and ways to go.”
However, Barry stays encouraged because she is constantly being inspired by others’ artistic genius, especially her biggest idol in photography Petra Collins. Barry hopes that her creativity can inspire others, like how Collins inspires her. Her future goals include one day shooting a cover of a magazine, moving to LA, and continuing to defy and push the boundaries of normalized portrait photography.