Portrait of Joy Parker taken by Christopher Bacon Photography

Joy Parker, a photographer for more than 30 years, began her endeavors by taking pictures of everything she saw.  Joy states, “I think I got my first camera when I was about 8 years old. I was always very interested in photographing inanimate objects rather than people.  I would photograph the dishes in the sink and tractors in the yard.  Anything around me.”, including portraits of her dolls.

Joy’s passion to bring her visions to others resulted in achievements of earning an Associate Degree in both Professional Photo Illustration and Film, Video at the Rochester Institute of Technology, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications: Broadcasting with a Studio Art minor at State University of New York at Brockport.

Color photography has always been her main concentration, but she also dabbles with film, video, watercolor and collage. “I like to think of my eye capturing natural still life… something that may seem ordinary to most people.  I enjoy catching that quiet moment, a simple joy, that the viewer can take with them. They can share in my vision of the simple things in life.”

Joy Parker’s Photograph Exhibits include:  Brockport Arts Festival, Scottsville’s Oatka Festivals, The Gallery of Artists in Rochester, NY, The Spectrum Gallery in Rochester, NY, Williams Gallery at First Unitarian Church of Rochester, Rochester, NY and Muddy Waters Coffee House, Geneseo, NY for the Images of Farmwork Fundraising Art Exhibit.

Donations of her work given to: The 6 x 6 show at the Rochester Contemporary Art Center, 2 acrylic paintings in 2011, 2 hand cut paper flowers and an abstract of dye on a paper napkin in 2012, and for the 2013 show, she donated a sunflower photograph.

Joy has been married for 12 amazing years, enjoying 2 daughters ages 18 & 8 with two naughty cats named Buddy & Scottie. In April 2010, Joy was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). Read Living with ALS for more.

Joy created and submitted a very personal video piece to Art for Freedom; which was chosen for the month of December 2013 by Madonna and celebrity curator David Blaine to win a $10,000 grant from the Ray of Light Foundation.  This money she chose to give to the MDA Rochester and The ALS Association, Upstate NY Chapter to help other people and families who are dealing with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease).

Currently, Joy works as a web coordinator for a public broadcasting station where she is considered the “Social Media Maven.”