bryn is a passionate arts educator who has been working in community for 15+ years. She has taught/mentored internationally and locally with orgs like Coyote Central, Powerful Voices, and Kirkland Arts Center, but her journey began at Youth in Focus as a classroom mentor ages ago. She couldn’t be more excited to be back!

bryn see’s photography as a profound tool for community building. Through images we share stories, communicating in another language, one that can be more accessible than words. Her goal is to help foster the space to explore vulnerability and creativity while providing new tools for youth to amplify their own voice.

bryn loves salty snacks, surprises, the magic of shadows in the evening light. Always in motion, you can catch her bike commuting, in the high mountains, or diving for a frisbee.

Photography is the perfect way to explore outside perspectives and let your creativity run wild! I'm primarily a film photographer with a background in Education and Social Justice. I know I've done my job if students walk away with a deeper understanding of themselves, their place in the community, and their place in the world.

Dene was born and raised in NY to parents from the Dominican Republic. Loves to share his love and discovery of mindfulness and stillness in photography with youth.

Ehsaan is a human who, first and foremost, loves to make real connections with all humans he has a chance to interact with. He is also a photographer, and a theatre maker, who is passionate about helping youth foster their own creativity and voice. He is especially invested in amplifying the voice of underserved and minority youth. Ehsaan believes that every small supportive influence has the potential to ripple outward and make a bigger impact in our society. His inclination towards outward expression helps him use art as a tool of inner exploration that he also strives to share in his teaching. After spending nearly 5 years traveling the world and photographing some of the most beautiful places and people, he is excited to bring his experiences to the Pacific NorthWest.

He is honored to be a member of Youth in Focus’s team, where he has the opportunity to encourage the youth to use their voice to keep changing the world one exposure at a time.

Ettie Wahl is an artist, filmmaker, photographer, educator, and artistic entrepreneur from the Pacific Northwest with a focus on women, non-binary, and LGBTQIA+ stories and experiences. She has been actively engaged in artistic curation, event organization, and underground arts activism for the better part of a decade in the greater Seattle area through her foundational work with Bioluminescent Films, Inner Sleeve Magazine, Off the Wall Artist Collective, & Bard Rock Studio. Ettie now also works as a videographer for the world renowned radio station KEXP’s live sessions.

She has spent the better part of the last decade cultivating and refining her work in the film industry with a focus on music and ethical film work and as an arts educator. Prioritizing women, non-binary, queer, and other marginalized creatives; challenging the oppressive systems that these industries are founded upon. She is excited to work with Youth In Focus to bring her love of the catharsis through photography to young creatives. We all have a story to tell, and my job is to create a safe place for you to develop your artistic voice through the lens of creativity and self expression, so you can tell your story, your way.

Isabel is an art educator and photographer who has been working as a teaching artist for Youth in Focus since 2017. She graduated with a Bachelor in Fine Arts in Photography from the School of Visual Arts in New York City in 2016 where she discovered her passion for teaching photography to youth. A Seattle native, Isabel moved back home in 2017 and since has worked as a K-8 art teacher at the Westside School and is now currently a middle school and high school Photography Teacher at University Prep in the Ravenna neighborhood of Seattle. In her free time, Isabel loves to cook, travel, study astrology, draw comics and work on her own personal photographic projects.

Zorn B. Taylor is a photographer and educator whose work centers on portraiture, presence, and relationship-building. His practice emphasizes patience, trust, and attentiveness— values he brings directly into his teaching with youth. Zorn teaches photography at Photographic Center Northwest and has led workshops focused on memory, healing, and photographic storytelling for marginalized communities. He approaches photography as a tool for self-expression, confidence, and care, helping people slow down, see themselves clearly, and understand images as a way to make meaning of their lives and experiences.

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Joy believes that we're all made to create. To experience the world in a one-of-a-kind way, and to affect it just as uniquely.

She defines an artist as anyone brave enough to set out on the adventure of finding ways to communicate the story of what life is like experienced from the view behind their eyes.

In 1998, Youth In Focus empowered her with a completely new language, unlocking a world of new ways to express the tangled mess of her teenage thoughts and emotions, igniting a life-long passion for "writing with light", and shaping the trajectory of the rest of her life.  

Throughout the ensuing 27-year journey, both photography and YIF continue to be her wonder-filled home base and safe space for exploration and inspiration.

It is her absolute honor to be a part of the latest iteration of the Youth In Focus family, helping to fan the artist's flame that glows within each teen fortunate enough to find their way to YIF's incredibly special perch at the Treehouse.

Brought to life by the creativity and passion of YIF students, I’ve

made it my mission to support youth as they explore self-expression

through photography. I strongly believe that creativity through

photography acts as a link to the thoughts, feelings, and unique

perspectives that we all encompass within ourselves. Outside of being

YIF’s amazing mascot, I like to think of myself as a creative coach,

part-time hype machine, and full-time matcha enthusiast. My playlist?

Think 2000s pop bangers mixed with dramatic movie soundtracks. Very

emotionally cinematic, just like me. 📷💚