Student photographer travels with country music artist

By Emily Gibson

Section Editor

In less than six months, 22-year-old James Wes Sharpe has toured over 27 states and has caught the attention of over 5.5 million people through his photography and videography work for Chase Wright, a country music artist.

Monday through Thursday, Sharpe, a senior communication studies major, is a normal student at Trevecca where he studies, shoots photos for athletics and manages the TNT athletics social media accounts, but since June, his weekends have looked a little different.

Come Friday, Sharpe is on a plane alongside Wright, Bennett Wilson, Wright’s guitarist, and Ty Thompson, Wright’s drummer, as they travel to their next destination on Wright’s “Hurt No More” tour.

Thompson, Sharpe’s best friend and roommate, joined the tour in late March as Wright’s drummer, and when the opportunity arose for a photographer to join the team, Thompson said he knew the right person for the job.

“He saw the pictures I was doing for sports, and he was like ‘you could do this for concerts,’” said Sharpe.

In April, Sharpe received a message from Wright who invited him to take photos at his rehearsal session. 

“Chase brought him out and just loved his personality,” said Thompson. “Wes was killing it and learning super-fast.”

After two months, Sharpe was offered the full-time photography position and began the journey of his dreams.  

While Sharpe has taken athletics photos for the Trojans since his sophomore year, he joined the “Hurt No More” tour in June with little experience in the field of concert photography, and his work has since accumulated over 5.5 million views on Wright’s socials. By the conclusion of the tour on Nov. 11, Sharpe will have photographed in 29 states.

If somebody asked Sharpe a year ago if he thought he would get the opportunity to travel the world with three of his best friends, he would have considered the idea unrealistic and himself unqualified.

While in high school, Sharpe’s goal was to play college lacrosse, but during his senior year, he suffered three tears in his ACL which not only put him out of the season but out of the sport altogether.

“The first time I thought I would get better, the second time I thought it was just bad luck, but then after the third time, I thought maybe this isn’t what I’m meant to do,” said Sharpe.

Sharpe began nearly 20 months of recovery, and because he could no longer contribute to his team by playing, he decided he would contribute in another way by designing their graphics.

Sharpe was 15 when he learned Photoshop, which he used at the time to design graphics for his middle school football team. The skill translated well into his senior year of high school for not only the task of making graphics but also for finalizing his college and career decision.

In fall of 2020, Sharpe came to Trevecca as a graphic design major ,which he later changed to communications studies. Since his sophomore year, he has been the full-time athletics photographer on campus.

“I feel like it took tearing my knees three times for God to get my attention, and because of it, I learned things like photography and Photoshop, which has opened up doors for me now,” said Sharpe. “I give God all of the praise and thanks for allowing all of the opportunities to come into my life.”

While Sharpe is grateful for his many opportunities leading up to the tour and thereafter, he said he has had to overcome several challenges along the way.

“When he told me what he wanted to do, I didn’t know how it was going to work because that was a huge task for anyone to balance,” said Gregory Ruff, director of sports information. “I think it’s worn him out some, but he’s managed it really well, and his photography and graphics have gotten even better.”

While Sharpe admits his sleep schedule is not the best, he has managed to uphold his responsibilities as an undergraduate, student worker, full-time photographer and a pursuer of excellence as he makes additional efforts to hone his craft. 

“I want to perfect my craft, so every single time I go out to shoot, I try a different technique or just something new so that I’m learning and getting better each time,” said Sharpe. 

According to both Thompson and Ruff, Sharpe’s hard work does not go unnoticed. 

“He has a desire to learn and get better, so he’s constantly pushing himself to the next level,” said Thompson. “He started shooting six months ago, and now he is doing the same job as photographers who have been doing this for years.”

While Ruff is the one who taught Sharpe the basics of photography, Ruff feels Sharpe’s experience has added additional value to his team. 

“In the last three months, he’s shown me things I didn’t know how to do, and it has changed how I edit, and it has raised the level of our work,” added Ruff. 

As for what lies ahead, Sharpe, who has already received multiple offers from artists seeking his photography work since the start of the tour, said he hopes to work in the creative industry, specifically in the music side of things full-time upon graduation in May.

“I think there’s just something special about being in a room full of people that love someone and care about the artist while I get to create art every single night for them,” said Sharpe.

Ruff said he never looks forward to losing someone so valuable, but he is proud of Sharpe and excited to see what his future holds.

“I have no doubt he’ll be successful at whatever he chooses to put his heart into,” concluded Ruff.