Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Sparks Keegan.
Michael, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was always the kid in school with a camera. It was sort of my security blanket. When I got to college I went to Europe on a backpacking trip for several weeks and bought a good camera just a day or two before I left.
When I returned home I ended up selling several of the tourist-type photographs and actually paid myself back for the trip.
I worked in a camera store after classes and met several Boston musicians who frequented the store and realized that I wanted to be a part of that scene.
I became part of the Boston Music Scene and it was trial by fire, always learning on the fly. I was the best education that I could ask for and I learned how to just about any situation that could come up. I recently received a Boston Music Award for Best Live Music Photographer.
When the wedding photography market transitioned from stiff and cookie-cutter formals to a more photojournalistic and candid style my wife and I started to include weddings into our business.
Laura and I now photograph concerts/musicians, corporate work and about 20 or so weddings a year for couples who want something more candid and artistic.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I feel that if you have not had obstacles and challenges along the way as a photographer then you are not trying hard enough or taking enough chances.
I had over half my gear stolen, along with my truck, during an armed robbery, which was a huge obstacle both financially and emotionally when I was just starting out. Trying to recover from that and keep working at the same time was brutal.
I think though that at times it is the obstacles that you overcome, as much as your successes, that help define you as a photographer. When I am working with an artist and we can compare our ups and downs over our careers it helps to build a relationship that is deeper than most others.
Please tell us about Michael Sparks Keegan – Photographer.
My wife and I are both portrait photographers by nature and we apply our particular style to everything we photograph.
Whether we are photographing a wedding for a couple in Hawaii, a corporate event in the West Indies or a concert in Fenway Park we are always looking for that candid moment that tells the story of the day.
We are known catching the moments in between the moments that show who the subject really is. Connecting with, and listening to, the people that we are photographing is vital. The photographs we take should show who they are not who we think they should be.
What sets us apart, I feel, is our experience and passion. As artists we look at situations differently than most people do, I think. We encourage our subjects to participate in the photographic process so that we are always on the same page.
We are most proud of the reputation we have for “getting the shot.” When we get a thank you note in the mail or read a review on line that says how much everyone loves the photos and memories captured, well, it does not get much better than that.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Childhood, to be honest, was tough. I grew up with an older brother who was extremely handicapped. The best memories though, were spending days with him baking in the sun at drag races up in New Hampshire. As kids our mother would bring up there for the whole day and since he could not walk I would run around taking pictures of everything he asked for. He had a great eye seeing things in a different way and I picked up a lot of that over the years.
We would come home late at night and I would spend hours in the basement developing and printing the black and white images from the day for him to see while blasting music on the radio.
I learned to appreciate photography and music from him and there isn’t a moment that I don’t think of him when I step into a venue to photograph a band.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.michaelsparkskeegan.com
- Phone: 781-585-4847
- Email: msk@michaelsparkskeegan.com
- Instagram: Michael_Sparks_Keegan
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michaelsparkskeeganweddings/
- Twitter: MSKPhotography
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