Niamh Barry Capturing Identity Through Photography & Film

Niamh Barry who is based in Dublin  is a photographer  and visual storyteller whose work focuses on intimate, emotionally honest portrayals of queer life in Ireland. Her images are grounded in trust, tenderness and a commitment to representing people and communities whose stories are often overlooked. Niamhs work has been exhibited widely, including at the RHA Annual Exhibition, Photo Museum Ireland’s Talents programme, Irish Design Week and the Galway Arts Centre. She has been nominated for FUTURES, featured in the British Journal of Photography’s Portrait of Humanity, and supported by multiple Arts Council Agility Awards. Her photography has appeared in publications such as VICE UK, Billboard, CLASH Magazine and Totally Dublin, reflecting her growing presence across both art and editorial contexts.   In this episode, Tim Bingham speaks with Niamh fresh from winning an award at the Manchester Film Festival, Niamh reflects on her path from studying at Trinity College Dublin into a career shaped by instinct, collaboration, and lived experience. The conversation traces her early development through projects like No Queer Apologies, a defining body of work that expanded her visual language and led to a sold-out photobook supported by the Arts Council Ireland. It also explores her more recent project Now & Forever, Interpersonally Queer, which focuses on intimacy, chosen family, and a slower, more collaborative way of working. A central focus is her documentary Something in the Air, inspired by the work of Nan Goldin and developed through an unexpected connection with a transgender storm chaser in Oklahoma. Niamh discusses the shift from still photography to film, the challenges of working with a small crew, and how storytelling changes when moving from image to motion. They also dive into the realities of sustaining an artistic career — from the importance (and fragility) of funding and her residency at Photo Museum Ireland, to navigating freelance life, creative control, and representation within the Irish photography scene. Alongside her personal work, Niamh reflects on photographing musicians like boygenius and Chappell Roan, and how commercial work provides a separate creative outlet. At its core, the episode is about building a practice without a roadmap — balancing uncertainty with purpose, and using photography as both a personal and political act.   Niamh Website Niamh instagram Talking Frames instagram