Meet Jorge Parra | Advertising and Luxury Lifestyle Visual Artist

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

Hi Jorge, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
Hello and thanks for having me!

In regard to risk, would say that it is an essential aspect of both life and business.

Whatever each person can do in order to manage and deal with risk is definitely a choice, and that may be what makes the difference between success and failure in any given undertaking.

Even at that, failure is also a concept which is always seen as a negative, when in fact, it provides tons of information to learn from and be better prepared when willing and ready to take on another risk in your life or work scenarios.

Another way of talking about risk is to challenge yourself on how much are you willing to move out of your comfy zones and jump into the “uncomfortable”, which is an unknown and by definition, puts you in a position of vulnerability which would make your creative process to spark, to sort out the unusual situations in front of you. The reward from jumping out of comfort is that you have explored new ways for you to do things, create opportunities that did not exist before, you have embraced risk with the proper attitude, and now you have risk in your mindset as tool for growth.

I have spoken on different occasions about how did I jump to become a freelance photographer after having lived a “standard” life as a Chemist, working in research laboratories under the classic institutional or corporate environments, abandoning all the “safety net” provided by those structures ( salary, insurance, etc) to become a Commercial and Visual Artist. A huge risk I took that changed my life for good and for the better!

Alright, so let’s jump right in! The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there a person, group, organization, book, etc that you want to dedicate your shoutout to? Who else deserves a little credit and recognition in your story?

I can ascertain with no hesitation that my wife, Maria Fernanda Briceno (aka Mafe), back then my girlfriend, was essential for the success of my reinvented life.

It is not easy to team up at a personal level with someone willing to accept the challenges that my new career involves, including relocating to another country when her career in our country of origin (Venezuela) was in top shape as an Advertising Executive in one of the largest Ad Agencies there, and on top of it, her entire family lives there, so when I said I have to move out and relocate to the USA, she did not hesitate to endorse the move and leave everything behind on my risky decision, all on behalf of finding a new and better life for both our daughter and us.

A massive group risk that she took and embraced with joy!

She is leading most of the initiatives while I take care of the photography-oriented programs, helping with Breast Cancer Awareness, Helping Organ Donor promotional campaigns with UM, AIDS campaigns and mostly capturing good portraits of kids waiting for adoption, helping them get a new family for life. A true life-changing process that I am proud to be doing every year! We both enjoy giving back to the community that has helped us settle, grow, and thrive in this country.

In a few words, my wife’s drive and willingness to embrace the unknown with such high spirits is something I truly value, as this helped me pursue and achieve my risky plans and goals. I can’t thank Mafe enough!

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
My company is Jorge Parra Photography and provides high-end Photography and Video services for Advertising Agencies, Boutique Marketing Groups, Luxury Markets and Direct Clients. I also offer Consulting Services and Fine Art Photography Projects. I have worked for as many big brands and mid-sized businesses to fill a huge list, so I just won’t mention any at this moment.

As a Visual Artist, outside the scope of my business, I run my Fine Art and Personal Projects, which I use also as a creative escape valve from commercial work. I run about at least a couple of gallery shows, be it a solo (individual) or group show every year. My Artwork is being published in 2 different books this year and by the end of 2024 or early 2025, the books will be available for sale.

That said, I continue to embrace risk when trying different approaches to different types of clients. What I mean by this is that my own nature is always looking for ways not to get bored with my work, so I keep excited to do what I do, with the same excitement as the first time I did it.

This “risky” attitude involves my choice of stopping one type of work when I realize I am repeating myself or the clients are asking for the same kind of work over and over, and my portfolio is getting boring.

Then I switch from working in Advertising to do more work in Editorial or stop shooting Fashion and Beauty to shoot more Luxury Clients or Fine Art projects, and then rotate back to Advertising, etc.

This offers me the chance to come back to some type of work with a fresh view, and new ways to produce new work and keep my portfolio relevant.

At this moment I am focusing my work and my business in the high-end ultra-rich clientele, who demand the utmost privacy and in most instances, I am hired under NDA contracts, so I can not mention their names, their fantastic homes, yachts, aeroplanes, and unique art collections I have had the pleasure to photograph for their own legal and personal records.

I have stated on several occasions that my work in Fashion and Beauty has made me live a life surrounded by Beauty, and my work with the top level ultra-rich is but an extension of the same argument, being surrounded and photographing the best of the best in terms of design, quality and exclusivity, plus the amazing collections of Artwork I have had the pleasure to shoot in those amazing properties.

Regarding how I want the world to know about my brand, it is important to consider the level of trust that is placed on me as both a professional and as a person in order to get access to those exclusive places and such unique people, celebrities, billionaires, Top Notch Sports personalities and the like. This trust is earned by fully respecting the privacy of the individuals and their families, which is the only way to get access to do these types of projects.

Please note that I apply this level of privacy protection to my Commercial/Advertising clients just as well, only that the work for commercial projects is meant to be published, while the work under NDA for private clients is meant to be kept private and secret.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
My suggestions would be something to ponder since I fully enjoy the cultural landscape that is growing in Miami, and I rather share the Arts and Cultural landscape, while many visitors would rather choose the party-like standard touristic environment.

I would tour my friend to the gallery system currently growing in Little Haiti (unfortunately displaced from Wynwood) and explore the growing art movement in Overtown, an area many would refuse to go to for no reason at all.

Then a nice visit to the PAMM Museum and having dinner at it’s cool restaurant, with live music on specific dates. Another great afternoon/evening at the MOCA ( Museum of Contemporary Art in North Miami) with it’s Jazz on Fridays nights. Also I would include the unusual visit to the World of Erotic Arts Museum, a unique spot in Miami Beach and probably the only one of its kind in the entire USA.

As a connoisseur of the city, I would take my friend to unusual places to eat, as we have found out in time the best places for the best Cuban food, Haitian food, Chinese food, Balinese food, Indian food, Arab food and Venezuelan food. Some of those places are not necessarily fancy spots and are not published in fancy lists magazines or newspapers either.

As for plans to visit, I would drive towards Central Florida to visit some of the natural Springs, which happen to be amazing places to spend a fine weekend camping out and enjoying the amazing beauty of those springs where you can swim, go lazy river for hours in the middle of the forest and even dive in the most transparent waters you have seen, plus the long fine hours kayaking to places where you can enjoy real silence like you have never experienced before!

In short, that would be a week of non-standard tourism. Not many would take it and would rather go to South Beach and South Pointe (day and night), Key West and Disney Parks, which is all OK, but it is what everyone does.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I can ascertain with no hesitation that my wife, Maria Fernanda Briceno (aka Mafe), back then my girlfriend, was essential for the success of my reinvented life.
It is not easy to team up at a personal level with someone who is willing to accept the challenges that my new career involves, including relocating to another country when her career in our country of origin (Venezuela) was in top shape as an Advertising Executive in one of the largest Ad Agencies there, and on top of it, her entire family lives there, so when I said I have to move out and relocate to the USA, she did not hesitate to endorse the move and leave everything behind on my risky decision, all on behalf of finding a new and better life for both our daughter and us.
A massive group risk that she took and embraced with joy!

After different jobs in her field, fast forward to the present times, she now works at the Disney Company and would not change the life we have built for anything. In addition to this, together, we are building a non-profit foundation to assist kids and teenagers in different programs, from recovery from critical malnutrition to educational and community-oriented programs, both here in the USA and in Venezuela.
She is leading most of the initiatives while I take care of the photography-oriented programs, helping with Breast Cancer Awareness, Helping with Organ Donor promotions, AIDS campaigns and mostly capturing good portraits of kids waiting for adoption, helping them get a new family for life. A true life-changing process that I am proud to be doing every year! We both enjoy giving back to the community that has helped us settle, grow, and thrive in this country.

Website: https://JorgeParraPhotography.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/JorgeParraPhotography

Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/JorgeParraPhotography

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jorgeparraphotography

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/jorge-parra-photography-north-miami

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