Meet Zhamari Harrison

Today we’d like to introduce you to Zhamari Harrison.

Hi Zhamari, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I started doing photography over a year ago. Moving from the East Coast to West Coast can be a culture shock so I knew I had to get out and about or I was going to miserable. So one day me and my roommate Malcolm went to a swap meet and there I found my first camera. I bought for 20 dollars and took it and got it fixed and the rest is history. From there, I knew what I wanted to capture which was African American culture. I knew the only community that help me achieve that is Leimert Park. The person who inspired me most starting out was my friend/mentor Czariah Smith (SznoftheCzar) her photo of the funeral procession of the late Nipsey Hussle showed we have to capture history in the community so it can archived forever.

The first person to ever let me shoot them was my friend Six Sev (mayorofleimert). I got to capture him at the groundbreaking for Destination Crenshaw. From there, I started capturing his label ENIAS records. From there, I started going to Harun Coffee and thats when I met Chace Infinite. Chace is one of the heartbeats of the community and with his guidance, he allowed me to capture his shop which led me to capture some of the biggest artists you have ever seen. I would love to give a shoutout to every brand that helped me in the beginning. ENIAS, SZNStudios, Bobs Liquor Store, ChillAsF*ck Records, District BoyzFlyG, Harun Coffee, Harun Records, PFTH and more.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No road is ever smooth so I have had my fair share of bumps in the roads. The first was being told no. I use to reach out to so many artists and sometimes I would never get a response so I realize I had to let my work due to the talking and it would all fall in place. Second would be confidence. When starting something such as photography, you see a lot of people’s work who may have been doing it longer than you so their photos come out better so you start to get discouraged. But what I learned was it doesn’t matter what others think its what you think and the style of which you express yourself will catch the right audience attention.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I specialize in shooting BTS, Art, and Lifestyle of South Central LA. I would think I would be known for capturing prominent people and brands not only in Leimert Park but the Crenshaw District. Anybody who has ever gave me a shot to capture them are my proudest moments because to me a kid from the east coast isn’t supposed to making this much of an impact out west. But my most proudest moment was being able to shoot Boldy James and Benny The Butcher from Griselda Records. I capture Boldy James at the famous producer Alchemist studio in Santa Monica which those photos ended up being published on Hypebeast and Pitchfork website. I was given the opportunity to shoot the behind the scenes footage for Benny The Butchers Legend video featuring HitBoy and G.Ry. I have to thank Chace for believing in out of all of photographers he knows. To me those 2 shoots not only gave me the confidence to work with bigger artist but it also established me as photographer on the rise. What sets me apart from other photographers is that I am generally a fan of the people I shoot. Every time I get to shoot different brands and artists, I connect with them on a personal level. It’s more than just getting a dope photo being able to see a different side of the artist at hand.

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
What people might not know about is that my photography brand I am starting is going to be name Full Circle Visuals. I got the name based off the teachings of the 5% Nation that I learned about while shooting in Leimert Park. The alias Mari X I got based off Malcolm X and the X meaning the unknown which is how I feel like I am as a photographer; you might not know me but you know my work.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @TheeMari_X
• Twitter: TheeMariX

Image Credits
Image 1: City Champ Image 2: HitBoy Image 3 Benny The Butcher Image 4 Malcolm Emilio Image 5 Boldy James Image 6 Boldy James Image 7 WestSide Gunn Image 8 From Left to Right Cletus Strap Six Sev Yung Kazi and City Champ Image 9 Six Sev