Meet Pat Sparling | Photographer

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

Hi Pat, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I grew up in the Chicago area and my mother worked for Life Magazine. Before I could read I was always looking at books published by Life and we always had Life Magazine’s around the house so I was always looking at the wonderful photography that Life produced, so It was there that I fell in love with Photography.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I started very young in Photography, but my real break came when I became a Commercial Photographer at the age of 21. I worked in Studios that shot Catalogs and advertising. Before that I shot 35mm but now I was using large format cameras, a total different kind of photography. Now I was using 4×5, 8×10 and 11×14 cameras to shoot product. In my mind a Commercial Photographer has a more unique skill than other photographers. It’s fast paced, client driven, you have to have great lighting skills and problem solving skills. Your work has to be judged not only by yourself but also by a client who’s paying for the best work possible. As mentioned problem solving is a big key, you take a product and have to make it look as good as possible and at the same time you must get the shot done as quickly as possible as your client has a budget and they are relying on you to make it work for them. You have to figure out the lighting and your camera work has to be perfect. I still shoot Commercial Photography but now I shoot more visual art; Architectural, Landscapes, Nature and Abstracts. I have taken my knowledge of Commercial Photography and blended it into my own style of what I call Natural Street Art.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
As I said, I grew up in the Chicago area but I have moved to Southern Wisconsin about thirty five years ago. My wife and I bought a small farm in Southern Wisconsin near Janesville Wisconsin so that is my home base. I love this area it has open spaces and wonderful views wherever I go. I use the countryside for a lot of my photographic work and I get venture into Downtown Janesville to get my feeling of living back in Chicago. Janesville gives me the chance to shoot my street photography along with its wonderful old and new architecture. But when I need to get away, which isn’t often, I go to where my Father was raised, a small town along the Mississippi River, Trempealeau Wisconsin, also known as God’s Country. My family has lived in this town since 1855 and it is like coming home. Wonderful views of the river, towering bluffs, abundant wildlife and small backwaters of the Mississippi River, a photographers paradise. When I am there I get to go to a wonderful old hotel that my GGGrandfather built in the 1870 that serves the most wonderful food with a perfect view of the Mississippi River. It brings me peace.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I believe my mother Joan Sparling, was my greatest influence in my love of Photography, with all of the material around our house relating to photography. It became my stepping stone to my visual concepts from and early age. Once I knew I wanted to be a photographer she encourage me in my dream. Later in life I attended a seminar, Photography at the Summit in Jackson Hole in early 1990’s. There I met Dick Durrance and his wonderful wife Susan Drinker two incredible photographers. Dick and Susan were my instructors and helped hone my skills as a photographer. To them I credit for teaching me how to see again.

Website: PatSparlingPhotography.com

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