Emmett Sparling Photography

Home
Canada
Vancouver, BC
Emmett Sparling Photography

Go to emmettsparling.com to see my most recent work! Photography by Emmett Sparling

07/11/2026

The pre-sale for my coffee table book 'Thin Spaces' is on for a few more days (until July 15th!). After the 15th the price will increase.
The book ships mid September and you can use the discount code PRE-REG10 at checkout for an extra $10 off :)

Oder the book here: www.thinspacesbook.com

05/07/2026

If a woman is engaged to be married in the Hamer
tribe (predominantly located in Ethiopia) she spends 7 months living with her mother in law. During that
entire time, she is covered head-to-toe in a red clay/
butter mixture that is believed to get her ready for
pregnancy.
She can’t wash it oﬀ and it stays wet the entire 7
months.

Women (not just brides) meticulously coat their hair with this red clay mixture to create long, thick, cylindrical strands that reflect beauty and wealth.

The clay mixture helps to protect their hair from the sun and keeps the hair and scalp moisturized.

Hamer men (particularly those who have performed significant acts of bravery) create a, “clay cap” or crown, which is molded onto the head and can last for months.

I’ve said this before, but my goal is to always
photograph people with dignity, power and beauty,
and I hope these images reflect that.

Pictured:
Ayto Ayke (bride), Duka Shada, Mora Lakales, Aletie Mana, Gadoo Woro, Dobo Kore.

05/01/2026

On your way to Jinka, Ethiopia, you’ll meet this group of boys who walk on stilts. Originally it was for the rainy season- made for walking through mud without getting all muddy.
Now, it’s become a bit of a tourist attraction as they’ve become so well known for their stilts.
It’s given them a great way to make money, and they’ve become well known around the world. They were even paid and flown to the capital city, Addis Ababa to walk on their stilts in an event.

We had a few minutes with them on our way out of town and they thought it was absolutely hilarious when I lay down in the middle of them all. I definitely put a lot of trust that they wouldn’t skewer me 😅

04/29/2026

The Simien mountains are home to an endemic species of Baboon, only found in the high altitude environment. I spent a day following their movements through the grassy meadows as they ate small bugs, climbed trees and got in small territorial squabbles.

I also met Fatima - an Ethiopian woman who lives in the Simien Mountains.

04/24/2026

and I rented a Land-Cruiser and drove 4.5 hours south of Nairobi to Amboseli National Park, known for its giant ‘tusker’ elephants.
They scoop up the red soil with their trunks and throw it over themselves which acts as a sunscreen and an insect repellant… it also makes them bright orange.

The elephants and their tusks are bigger in Amboseli. Thanks to decades of conservation efforts protecting the males who carry a unique gene that gives them tusks that weigh upwards of 100lbs.

Most of these images are of the same elephant who has been hanging around our campsite the last 2 days.

04/21/2026

Photo dump from the past 2 days in the Maasai Mara 🦁

It’s been such a joy exploring the wildlife of this incredible place with a group of people who are experiencing it for the first time.

The Masai Mara photography workshop is finishing tomorrow, but I have two more workshops this year in Vancouver and Kathmandu. Comment “workshop” and I’ll send you more info.

04/19/2026

The first day of my Wildlife Photography Workshop with was a huge success.

We had an incredible encounter with a mom and baby leopard who dropped their kill out of the tree and brought it back up to safety piece by piece.
This was only my second time seeing a baby leopard, and the first time I’ve seen a leopard climb up and down a tree.

If you’re interested in my other workshops, I have one in Vancouver in September, and one in Kathmandu in December.

04/17/2026

10 years of traveling with my camera, keeping travel journals and writing down my experiences has led to my first coffee table book: Thin Spaces.
Comment “Thin Spaces” and I’ll DM you!

04/15/2026

The Nyangatom tribe lives on the southern border of Ethiopia and South Sudan. They travel between countries freely to their various villages. They are considered very generous but are also known as fierce warriors.

Nyangatom women wear many, often very heavy, necklaces which can indicate their husband’s wealth. Both men and women practice body scarification- a sign of beauty and strength.

These were some of the friendliest and welcoming people we met on our trip through the Omo region of Ethiopia.

I’ve said this before, but my goal is to always photograph people with dignity, power and beauty, and I hope these images reflect that.

Pictured:
Atolim Arupur, Adapal Lorot, Lokale Lokeno, Nakuru Lochebe, Eliza Asfaw, Ekeno Ayero and her baby, Naworu Lokotumo, Arengaei Muya, Lomogin Muya, Testiness (love this name).

Address

Vancouver, BC

Website

http://www.emmettsparling.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Emmett Sparling Photography posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Want your business to be the top-listed Photography Service in Vancouver?