Tara Whipple, (more familiarly known as “Sunny”), was born and raised in the blistering heat of “fabulous” Las Vegas, NV. They went to a prestigious vocational high school where they majored in video production and discovered her passion for visual storytelling. In 2014, Sunny won first place in the state of Nevada for a Skills USA film competition and went on to compete at the national level where they placed in the top ten of fifty-one entries. She pursued a career in filmmaking and cinematography when she started college.
In 2016, they were hired as the official photographer, videographer, artist, and documentarian of the Risk and Environmental Services Department of the Clark County School District, where they would tag along on various assignments and produce photos and videos that would be distributed throughout the entire school district. While in college, Sunny got involved in several political campaigns and organizations. They would always take to their camera to help spread the message of the groups she was working with. Sunny’s photos have been used by the Bernie Sanders Campaign, The Standing Rock Souix Tribe, The Islamic Society of Nevada, The Jill Stein Campaign, Families Belong Together, and in 2017, they were an official archivist for the National Women’s March in Las Vegas.
After a few years, and in need of some soul searching, Sunny decided to no longer attend college, and started traveling anyway they could. Not having much money to travel, they worked with what they had and lived out of their car and drove across the country. They did this off and on for three years and it was during these trips they discovered a passion for street photography and the stories it had the potential to tell. Wanting some substantial footing in a career in visual storytelling, in the summer of 2022, Sunny was one of two applicants accepted for a
prestigious two week long humanitarian photography internship in Livingstone, Zambia, hosted by professional photographer Anna Lusty. During this internship Sunny participated in workshops, assignments, and had their work professionally reviewed every day. The work Sunny produced during this internship has been used by Free Haven, Baobuyu Learning Center, Zambezi Working Donkey Project, Vets Without Borders, Fuel Efficient Stoves Project, and Zamebezi Animal Welfare Services.
Today, Sunny dwells in a 75 sq. foot micro apartment in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston and works for a funeral service. When she’s not working or combing the streets for photo ops, she spends her time swing dancing, collecting and reselling vintage clothes, enjoying live music, or planning the next big adventure!
