“In all chaos there is cosmos, in all disorder a secret order,” by Carl Jung may be the few words which can describe freelance photographer Christopher Sprowls’ work style. Sprowls presents himself as the grunge poster child from his past, with long hair and neutral clothing colors. He embraces that being a professional photographer is also being an artist- and the magical experiences which come along with working with Pittsburgh based refugee settlement organization Hello Neighbor.
Sprowls office space gives an immediate first impression of comfort and safety. The entire building used to be a Catholic school building, and the architecture is still there to prove it. A chalkboard lined the right wall, which was decorated with posters and a vintage American flag. The seating arrangement, which makes a quarter of the studio space, could have been out of a movie scene, with a wide rug and separate seating arrangements. Once we were both seated and had formally introduced ourselves, the conversation had a natural start.
Q: How do you start your day as a freelance photographer?
A: “I’m very radical sometimes. I don’t know… there’s this idea of routine that I’m not great with, and you know, freelance work, contracting work, whatever you want to call it lends itself to that freedom. It is sometimes scary because I have to be self-sufficient. There are some days where I fall out of the routine with the schedule, right, and I’m like, okay, shoot, what am I doing? You know, what do I have to do? What is the background work I have to do? It’s easy for me to wake up at 5am or 6am if I have a shoot, then great. This is what I love doing.”
Q: I noticed on your website you photograph a lot of portraits and events. Is that what you like to do?
A: “I think I’ve always been an artist like growing up, drawing and painting a little bit. It was more so drawing and I think doing portraits and event work was a way for me to earn a living with my camera.”
Sprowls gestured at the wall in front of both of us, which was decorated with framed photographs. There were landscape photos which gave the youthful, yellow nostalgia of the 1990s and early 2000s. A studio image of a popsicle melting into a “Jazz” Dixie Cup which stood out from the entire room in its brightness.
“I still love doing this work, and when the mood strikes me, I’ve been trying to get back into it. This is actually a new space for me.”
Sprowls moved into this space in January through Jeb Feldman, head of non-profit Braddock Economic Development Corps located in Braddock, Pennsylvania. Today, and largely since the 1970s and 1980s, Braddock’s African American, Latino, and Caucasian residents have been experiencing rampant poverty compared to statewide averages, according to Family-to-Family Communities Archive. Sprowls has known Feldman for the past nine years, and their friendship resulted in him being able to find a workplace separate from his house.
“So, I called Jeb and we talked, and he said there’s a space that’s right next to it, we share a wall, his bathroom is actually on the other side of that wall,” Sprowls said. “He [Feldman] said how he is cautious who comes in here and who wants to rent. We talked about it, and it just made sense.”
Q: What is the main emotion you experience while photographing for Hello Neighbor?
A: “What is that emotion? I think the umbrella emotion is joy. You know, there’s always a little bit of anxiety before you shoot, if it’s a small event or a wedding. There’s more anxiety with a wedding, but good anxiety, because I want to do the job well. Sometimes I’m photographing in a space that’s dark, in a theater or something which I have to work around. I have to workshop how to do that. Sometimes all it is putting a flash on my camera… I’d rather put that flash on and present them better photos than I have to bump my ISO up and it’s going to be noisy.”
Sprowls photographs a variety of events for refugees with Hello Neighbor, including potlucks and indoor dances. He enjoys seeing the kids interact with each other and their families. He said that it is a “beautiful, community-driven event,’ describing the refugee-centered events which include food, drinks, and activities for the children of the families to enjoy.
“It’s joy that I feel, specifically with Hello Neighbor, and some of the other non-profits I work with. They do immigrant and refugee work too, and I really love interacting with the kids. I think they like interacting with me a little too much sometimes. They want to, like, you know, take my camera and take photos sometimes, like I’ll take selfies with them. It’s a good reminder to have fun.”
