Today we’d like to introduce you to Moses Sparks.
Hi Moses, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I have been an established commercial photographer for over 30 years, starting out in the fashion industry and eventually moving into corporate and entertainment work. Along the way, I have photographed celebrities, CEOs, famous athletes, politicians, and countless others from all walks of life. The work has always been very satisfying for me because I get to meet so many different people and step into their worlds for a brief time as I try to make the definitive portrait of who they are and what they are about.
2020 was a major turning point in my life and career as the pandemic made it impossible to do my work and everything just dried up. It was then that I made a 180-degree change in direction and began to do wildlife photography for the first time in my life. Posting the pictures online through various social media sites gave me a platform to share the images, and the response was incredible. People who were stuck at home but longing for a taste of nature began following me and encouraging me in my new pursuit, telling me the pictures were a bright spot in their days.
I made a connection with the National Park Service and suddenly found myself traveling to Hawaii to photograph endangered birds in the rainforest to raise funds and awareness of their plight. That in turn lead to other opportunities with various conservation groups and magazines. I visited Costa Rica and found a whole new world of wildlife there, so different from what I had been photographing as I traveled across the US.
With 2023 on the horizon, I am now working on developing field workshops and classes for Samys Camera, preparing a gallery show for the Western National Parks Association, and compiling images for my second book.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Even though I have been a working photographer for decades, transitioning to a radically different subject like wildlife photography, meant a steep learning curve to develop the technical expertise needed. I spent a LOT of time studying, practicing, testing, and just getting out there to see firsthand what worked and just as importantly, what didn’t.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
In my commercial work, I was always known for a dramatic sense of light and perspective. It gave the portraits a power and immediacy that would connect with the viewer and draw them in.
With nature photos, I brought the exact same sensibilities to it, and every time I photograph an animal, I am trying to make the definitive picture of it…which to me means writing a poem with light…there is only a single image, so it must somehow convey the essence and uniqueness of that subject in a way that speaks to the viewer. I regard animals as living works of art, and my mission is to portray them that way.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
Determination for sure; I am not easily scared off 🙂
I have always felt that I had an ability to look at a scene and see the picture in there that did not yet exist. Then I would figure out how to carve away everything that was obscuring it and reveal it to the naked eye.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mosessparkswildlifephotography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moses.sparks/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/moses.sparks.7
Image Credits
Moses Sparks
