Check out Marscel Harris-Parker’s Artwork

Today we’d like to introduce you to Marscel Harris-Parker.

Marscel, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
It seems like I’ve always had a camera in my hand as long as I can remember. Whether it was at family reunions with everyone’s point-and-shoot or college before most anyone had camera phones, capturing all the events and being known to upload them to Facebook before the event even ended was who I became. It was also a bit of an outlet for me. I’m more on the introverted side, so having a camera also allowed me participation & acceptance without question or spotlight in most cases.

Toward the end of my college career I was roommates with a graphic design major who was taking some photography classes. He was the first to introduced me to the concept of photographing people, places and events as a form of art rather than just documentation and it totally influenced my world. After college I moved to Austin, Texas for a few years and while there I started to attend some courses at the local camera shop and formed some pretty solid connections with the community that really pushed me to grow and pursue it as a true art form and as a professional. Fast forward almost 10 years later of capturing families, friends, anniversary, weddings and most recently corporate relationships and small businesses, I decided it was a good time to take a leap of faith and follow my dreams as full-time creative.

The last few years before making that jump had also been spent dedicated to finding my footing in life while also taking care of my mother who was diagnosed with Stage IV Ovarian Cancer in March of 2015. Watching her fight for her life in such an honorable way, in spite of hurt & pain and consistent hospital stays really changed my perspective about the work that I do. It was no longer just about capturing pretty images and people, but documenting the legacy that we create with our families and the lives we lead.

She passed away in November 2017 and it rocked my world. While I did my best to “prepare” myself as her health declined toward the end, I really understood at that moment how much love really pierces our soul. Since then I’ve worked really hard to find my way back to my passion of photography with an even greater purpose of helping people to tell their stories through visual artistry and I hope that this is something I can continue for a very long time to come.

We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I’m a wedding and portrait photographer. The majority of my work is commissioned to capture people for special events in their life. Of course, weddings and birthdays are common, but I’ve also been honored t0 capture live births, worked on documentaries post-tragedies and even memorial services. I hope that when people see my work, they don’t only see well taken photographs, but they see the story behind it as well.

It’s easy to find stories these days of people being divided and defensive about how people should and should not live and what kind of responsibilities we have as citizens of the world. Sometimes I think we forget how powerful it can be to share our own personal narrative as a point of perspective and insight. Again, my hope is that people can see others, who may look just like them, out in the world creating their own legacy for the good of the world!

The sterotype of a starving artist scares away many potentially talented artists from pursuing art – any advice or thoughts about how to deal with the financial concerns an aspiring artist might be concerned about?
This is a huge part of being an artist, especially when you decide to pursue it full-time. The biggest lesson I’ve learned is to figure out early on what you’re willing to compromise on financially….and then go past that, lol!

I was working in Corporate America for almost 10 years before deciding to strike it out on my own. That amount of time allows you to create a lifestyle that many really work hard to sustain and thrive off of these days. Consistent income, bonuses, benefits, healthcare, etc. are all things you will now become solely responsible for, especially if you don’ that have a spouse to help carry that burden.

I’ve had to really change how I view time and money and deciding how I value it. Dropping a couple hundred bucks on a night out with friends just can’t happen anymore…at least for now!

Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
While I’m working more passion projects this year, most of my commissioned worked can be viewed from my website (www.marscelhp.c0m), Facebook (www.facebook.com/marscelhpphotos) or Instagram (@marscel.hp). That’s also where people can find me to discuss working together on any projects or creative needs that they may have.

Contact Info:

• Address: Marscel HP Photography 4848 Lemmon Ave. #826
  Highland Park, Texas 75219
• Website: www.marscelhp.com
• Phone: 469-708-7470
• Email: hp@marscelhp.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/marscel.hp
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/marscelhpphotos

Image Credit:
All images and copywrite belong to me, Marscel Harris-Parker.

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