Meet Ty Harper | Photographer and Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ty Harper and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ty, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Being creative requires a level of skill and effort that many of us, in some form, want affirmation for. Why I’ve enjoyed the community I’ve built around my photography. I did want some compensation for my level of effort. Additionally, there’s a sense of legitimacy given to your work when it’s within the structure of your business. Ultimately, I determined that having a business didn’t dramatically affect my creative process as long as I took on the right clients who respected my process.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I actually currently work as a client engagement manager at Microchip Technology. This is a new venture for me and I previously spent the last 3 years post-college working in healthcare. While healthcare administration was a huge part of that time, my tenure spent as a mental health professional played a major role in how my photography manifested. I worked the crisis line and had a chance to hear about peoples’ trials and tribulations, how they felt at the fringes of society yet had compelling stories to share. (if someone decided to listen) This job taught me that empathy and genuine curiosity is a major part of human connection. Working the crisis line, this formed as me intervening in mental health crises. In all other contexts of life, it manifested as me becoming a more compelling communicator.

And compelling is the key word. I want the different variables in my work (color, lighting, composition, storytelling) to be compelling and provoking. I want people to see I have a connection with my art, I want them to understand my view of the world. And for a large number of my photoshoots, I just take pictures of my friends who often aren’t professional models. It’s up to me to direct them and have them, and eventually my audience, buy into my vision. I feel as though I’ve done a great job of this. I’ve turned many of my friends from being scared to being in front of my camera to being frequent collaborators in my work. There’s nothing that makes me happier than sending someone the edited pictures and see them transition from doubting their photogenic capabilities to being genuinely happy with the final results. Those are the moments I live for as a photographer and creative.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
One of the most interesting things about me that has helped to stand out compared to other photographers in the DFW is that I rarely shoot in the same place twice. I do this to push me to adventure, make more adaptable my artistic vision, and to continue to evolve creatively. Essentially, I’ve shot everywhere. From arcades to libraries to department stores, to gardens to amusement parks and more, I’m fearless in where I decide to shoot.

If I were to pick some of the highlights, places like Rainbow Vomit, Sweet Tooth Hotel, Wonder Bar, Cidercade Fort Worth. Ripley’s Believe It or Not, Six Flags/Hurricane Harbor, Frisco Videogame Museum, Little Elm Park, and much more. These are some really gorgeous locations in the DFW I think must people would enjoy.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Of course, Brian Delumpa is a photographer here in the Dallas-Fort Worth area (who often travels) that has visually striking work. His use of colors, framing, and dramatic lighting inspired me in taking more creative control over the stories I told in my work. He works as a graphic designer for the Dallas Stars and his years of consistent creativity is a benchmark I aspire for. His Instagram is brianjdelumpa

Website: tyharperphotography.com

Instagram: instagram.com/ty.harper.5