Rising Stars: Meet Stephanie Parsley

Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Parsley. 

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Photography initially sparked my interest when I lived in Arkansas. When I was in high school, my dad took me to Walmart on Easter and bought us a cheap $200 Fuji camera to start taking photos of each other. We didn’t really have camera phones at the time (or at least good ones) so I never really paid attention to taking pictures. However, once I got that camera, I became obsessed with it and started taking the camera to school and football games and realizing how much fun it was to not only take photos but to see how it allowed me a way to connect with people. I remember one of my favorite things to do was go home and edit the pictures and upload them to MySpace (lol) or Facebook and see how excited it made everyone. 

I continued to take pictures for fun and it wasn’t until I went to college in Fayetteville, AR that I did my first actual photoshoot (by this time my camera was being held together by rubber bands) of my college roommate. We drove to Eureka springs with just my camera and ridiculous clothing, had so much fun, and really from there everything started falling into place slowly. 

This was 12 years ago though. So, imagine photography and what it was like then. Lots of studio lighting, lots of backdrops. Lots of props. Lots of normal editing. 

I wasn’t doing any of that. I was doing all-natural lighting, vibrant/warm editing, fun themes or concept, and shooting around outside. Because of that, I was really standing out as a photographer in my area and it was helping me get noticed and get booked into this actual full-blown career that I had no idea was possible. 

While still doing photography on the side- I continued college for 2 years at the University of Arkansas, majoring in business and education. Then, as more photo gigs we’re picking up back in my hometown in Little Rock, I decided to transfer to UALR, the university there. I ended up making it to the end of Junior year and never went back to finish my senior year because at that point I was making more income-wise than my major would ever allow me to make in real life…. So, I quit college to pursue photography full time and so glad I did. 

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
I would say it’s been a semi-smooth road! I did everything slowly and at my own pace and let the universe guide and decide for me if photography is what I am supposed to be doing with my life. Aside from the stress of having to decide to quit college to pursue photography full-time and having to figure out how to pay for better cameras, I definitely had my fair share of bullies and drama growing into this field, but those are all things I look at as part of the process and now appreciate. 

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a wedding, editorial, and portrait photographer and have been pursuing this passion full-time for the past 12 years. I specialize in natural light photography and I am known for my vibrant, warm tones in my editing style. Aside from photography, having an eye for things has given me the confidence to completely remodel my home in Arkansas into a gorgeous place to live while also serving as a creative workspace/studio for photographers and videographers. Then as a branch off from my photography, I created presets that allow anyone, professionals and non-professionals, to be able to edit their pictures on their phones or computers exactly like I do!

I also run a podcast, Oh Here We Go, with my best friend, Lacey Rogers, here in Denver and LA where we are constantly hosting interviews and creating photos and content that run as a great representation of who we both are.

I hate talking about myself so much but I feel extremely lucky that I was able to find what I loved and what I was good at early enough in life to be able to watch it blossom and expand into all these different avenues and businesses that I’m really proud of.

Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
My dad for buying me that first $200 camera in Walmart because without that I wouldn’t have realized how much I loved photography until way later and my story would be totally different than it is today.

My friends for believing in me and letting me photograph them when I needed or wanted practice.

And for my clients for always hiring me. Whether that be for the important milestones in their lives or just because.

Personally, I recognize that it takes a lot to muster up the energy to 1) hire a photographer for something and 2) trust someone in general with important moments especially when being in front of a camera can be so vulnerable. So, I really mean this when I say this, but thank you to every single person for trusting me to document moments and photograph you.

Contact Info:

• Email: stephanieparsleyphotography@gmail.com
• Website: www.stephanieparsley.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/stephanieparsley
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StephanieParsleyPhotography
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeoBhFtVgNLC629I5VUqCSA