James Sparshatt Photography

A tobacco farmer from the Viñales valley. The Spirit of the Revolution series documents the generation of Cubans that saw the dramatic changes of 1959 as young adults. They have a s...

El Orgullo - the pride - Holguín, Cuba during Las Romerias de Mayo festival. Women full of pride dancing during Las Romerias de Mayo festival A troupe of female dancers full of all...

Te veo… I see you. Matanzas 2005. The Spirit of the Revolution series documents the generation of Cubans that saw the dramatic changes of 1959 as young adults. They have a strength ...

La telaraña or “spider’s web” was taken in a dance school in Santa Clara, Cuba. The dance symbolised the relationship between man and woman… the man flirting, the woman turning away ...

The old teacher. When he was young tango was the Argentine dance. Born in the back streets and brothels of Buenos Aires its staccato movements and deep rooted passion were all-consum...

A tobacco farmer from the Viñales valley in Cuba. In 1959 residents of Cuba were faced with a stark choice: stay on their island home and live as a “revolutionary” or leave. Some believed wholeheartedly in the new beginning, some were willing to be carried along and some abandoned everything they had and chose exile. The Buena Vista social club...

El Principe - the little prince.  The Raphael Trejo gym is an institution of Old Havana. An open air gym that has produced world beating champions from bare-footed initiates.  In 2004 this boy was a star in the making... he went on to win medals in the boxing ring at London, Rio and Tokyo Olympic...

The drums that provide the driving beat underpinning Cuban music were brought from Africa. Each distinct rhythm corresponded to a different God in the pantheon of Yoruba deities, all...

Lost in each others embrace… James Sparshatt’s photographs of music and dance capture the emotion and intensity of people lost in the rhythm of the moment. The work is available as...

A lady of pure joy… dancing in the Plaza de la Revolucion on May 1st 2001. The Spirit of the Revolution series documents the generation of Cubans that saw the dramatic changes of 19...

Close your eyes, lean in, rest forehead to cheek and trust in your partner to take you on a journey… James Sparshatt’s photographs of music and dance capture the emotion and intensi...

Location: Havana Series : Spirit of the Revolution Year: 2001 Portrait of Elvirio el Dandy. An icon of Old Havana at the turn of the century. His custom of wearing finery has spaw...

Havana Café. El Escabeche is a bar about halfway along called Obispo in old Havana. It was late afternoon when the band began to play. Their new lead singer was performing for the fi...

A fleeting touch of the lips on a tango dance floor. James Sparshatt’s photographs of music and dance capture the emotion and intensity of people lost in the rhythm of the moment. T...

A moment of pure joy in Holguín, Cuba, during las Romerias de Mayo festival. James Sparshatt’s photographs of music and dance capture the emotion and intensity of people lost in the...

Location: KwaZulu Natal Year: 2006 The Tsonga region is in the north of KwaZulu Natal in South Africa. It was a day of celebration, cattle had been slaughtered and the ladies of th...

El Paso is an evocative black-and-white photograph that captures the dynamic motion of dancers, focusing on their feet elegantly entwined. The photograph features a blurred effect th...

Windswept and weather beaten these stakes fight a losing battle against the eternal elements… James Sparshatt’s black and white landscapes from his Norfolk home emphasize the beauty...

Te veo… I see you. Matanzas 2005. Sparshatt's black-and-white portrait captures the essence of a weathered, elderly man, his face a tapestry of deep wrinkles that tell stories of a...

House On The Marsh by James Sparshatt pictures a lonely cabin seen through late summer grasses on a marshland. The black-and-white photograph captures a tranquil rural scene, where...

Every evening on Frenchmen Street in New Orleans groups of young men, the Young Fellaz, create a wall of beautiful noise. Playing their battered brass for all they are worth... a rau...

The Nubra Valley is part of the Tibetan plateau. It is an arid landscape surrounded by awesome peaks, a high altitude desert inhabited by a few small Ladakhi communities and their ...

The Nubra Valley is part of the Tibetan plateau. It is an arid landscape surrounded by awesome peaks, a high altitude desert inhabited by a few small Ladakhi communities and their ...

Puro is Cuban slang for a cigar… alegria is Spanish for happiness… for Graciela both always seemed essential to her being. The Spirit of the Revolution series documents the generati...

Aodh's domain, the realm of the celtic God of the underworld. Waves wash into the cave and create a world of mystery. James Sparshatt’s black and white landscapes have an ethereal ...

Just after dawn on the Henderson swamp in Louisiana, with only alligators and storks for company, the hanging moss and primeval cypress trees in calm magnificence. James Sparshatt’s...

Watermelon Slim in reds 2023 A black and white photograph of the gritty blues musician Watermelon Slim in Reds bar in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Watermelon Slim’s heartfelt and catha...

A moment of joy on the dance floor at the Festival Acadiens et Creoles in 2019 in Lafayette, Louisiana. A joyous connection! Lafayette Louisiana, USA 2019 James Sparshatt‘s black and white portraits are a search for a connection with a world of emotions. His photographs from the streets of Havana, the milongas of Buenos Aires, the jazz clubs of New Orleans and bars of Andalucia capture the spirit of music in populations wher it is the very lifeblood and expression of life. Matt print direct on to aluminium Edition of 12 Dark wood tray...

Sparshatt Dalzell is a collaboration between photographer James Sparshatt and painter Rachael Dalzell. The portrait was taken in 2003 on Plaza de la Catedral by James. Rachael’s ...

Sparshatt Dalzell is a collaboration between photographer James Sparshatt and painter Rachael Dalzell. The portrait was taken in 2003 on Plaza de la Catedral by James. Rachael’s ...

Sparshatt Dalzell is a collaboration between photographer James Sparshatt and painter Rachael Dalzell. The portrait was taken in 2003 on Plaza de la Catedral by James. Rachael’s ...

Sparshatt Dalzell is a collaboration between photographer James Sparshatt and painter Rachael Dalzell. The portrait was taken in 2003 on Plaza de la Catedral by James. Rachael’s ...

Sparshatt Dalzell is a collaboration between photographer James Sparshatt and painter Rachael Dalzell. The portrait was taken in 2003 on Plaza de la Catedral by James. Rachael’s ...

Sparshatt Dalzell is a collaboration between photographer James Sparshatt and painter Rachael Dalzell. The portrait was taken in 2003 on Plaza de la Catedral by James. Rachael’s ...

Sparshatt Dalzell is a collaboration between photographer James Sparshatt and painter Rachael Dalzell. The portrait was taken in 2003 on Plaza de la Catedral by James. Rachael’s ...

Sparshatt Dalzell is a collaboration between photographer James Sparshatt and painter Rachael Dalzell. These works combine the exacting and time consuming artistry of the palladium platinum printing process with Dalzell's expressive and immediate painting style to bring colour and drama to Sparshatt's portraits. James Sparshatt's Spirit of Revolution series documents the strength and resillience of a generation of Cubans who have lived through a half century of tumultuous history on their island. His black and white portraits capture every wrinkle and line. Shot on the street they exude a natural charm. They are printed as Palladium Platinum prints by master of the art Max...

Waiting for the drums The anticipation of the next beat, the next dance, when everything comes alive. The Carnaval of Olinda, on the north east coast of Brazil...

Sparshatt Dalzell is a collaboration between photographer James Sparshatt and painter Rachael Dalzell. These works combine the exacting and time consuming artistry of the palladium platinum printing process with Dalzell's expressive and immediate painting style to bring colour and drama to Sparshatt's portraits. James Sparshatt's Spirit of Revolution series documents the strength and resillience of a generation of Cubans who have lived through a half century of tumultuous history on their island. His black and white portraits capture every wrinkle and line. Shot on the street they exude a natural charm. They are printed as Palladium Platinum prints by master of the art Max...

Sparshatt Dalzell is a collaboration between photographer James Sparshatt and painter Rachael Dalzell. The portrait was taken in 2003 on Plaza de la Catedral by James. Rachael’s ...

Sparshatt Dalzell is a collaboration between photographer James Sparshatt and painter Rachael Dalzell. The portrait was taken in 2003 on Plaza de la Catedral by James. Rachael’s ...

Sparshatt Dalzell is a collaboration between photographer James Sparshatt and painter Rachael Dalzell. Graciela, an icon of old Havana. It was taken in 2001 on one of James first visits to the island. Rachael’s interpretations bring alive her spirit. These works combine the exacting and time consuming artistry of the palladium platinum printing process with Dalzell's expressive and immediate painting style to bring colour and drama to Sparshatt's portraits. James Sparshatt's Spirit of Revolution series documents the strength and resillience of a generation of Cubans who have lived through a half century of tumultuous history on their island. His black and white portraits capture every wrinkle and line. Shot on the street they exude a natural charm. They are printed as Palladium Platinum prints by master of the art Max...

Tsemo Maitreya by James Sparshatt. Buddhist monastery in Ladakh. Platinum Print. Ladakh is part of the Tibetan plateau. It has an arid landscape surrounded by awesome peaks. Tsemo...

La Linea by James Sparshatt. Romantic photo of tango. Palladium Platinum Print. A line to be crossed… a man leads with strength and tenderness on the tango ...

The early hours in Jerez de la Frontera, the flamenco dancer’s tacones beat a rhythm as she drew the spirit of the duende from the earth into the souls of her audience. Andalusian f...

There is a something about being a child on the beach where the sheer exuberance of running into the waves transcends the normal social barriers, and the shared exhilarance allows fo...

June Lake on the Eastern Escarpment of the Californian Sierra Maestre range. Hours before sunrise the frozen lake was buffeted by winds. The ice cracked and ...

Aodh is a god of the underworld and prince of the Daoine Sidhe in Irish mythology. The crashing waves in this cave made its legend as a gateway to the realm of the Gods entirely u...

Just after sunrise the mists disburse to reveal a panorama of pagodas stretching across the Bagan valley in Burma. Drifting slowly in the almost imperceptible breeze a flotilla of h...

The Nubra Valley is part of the Tibetan plateau. It is an arid landscape surrounded by awesome peaks, a high altitude desert inhabited by a few small Ladakhi communities and their ...

Sparshatt Dalzell is a collaboration between photographer James Sparshatt and painter Rachael Dalzell. The portrait was taken in 2003 on Plaza de la Catedral by James. Rachael’s ...

Sparshatt Dalzell is a collaboration between photographer James Sparshatt and painter Rachael Dalzell. The portrait is of a lady from the valley of Viñales in Cuba. Viñales is t...

The Nubra Valley is part of the Tibetan plateau. It is an arid landscape surrounded by awesome peaks, a high altitude desert inhabited by a few small Ladakhi communities and their ...

Rolling waves crashing against the breakwater in St Monan’s calmed by a long exposure after dark. James Sparshatt’s black and white landscapes have an ethereal beauty. They are mom...

A frozen morning in the highlands of Scotland and the sun battles to emerge from the mists. James Sparshatt’s black and white landscapes have an ethereal beauty. They are moments w...

Aodh is a god of the underworld and prince of the Daoine Sidhe in Irish mythology. The crashing waves in this cave made its legend as a gateway to the realm of the Gods entirely u...

Just after sunrise the mists disburse to reveal a panorama of pagodas stretching across the Bagan valley in Burma. Drifting slowly in the almost imperceptible breeze a flotilla of h...

Rolling waves crashing against the breakwater in St Monan’s calmed by a long exposure after dark. James Sparshatt’s black and white landscapes have an ethereal beauty. They are mom...

The Nubra Valley is part of the Tibetan plateau. It is an arid landscape surrounded by awesome peaks, a high altitude desert inhabited by a few small Ladakhi communities and their ...

El Ensayo (the rehearsal) was taken during the Romerias de Mayo festival in Holguin Cuba. The troupe were preparing for a performance of Afro-Cuban dance...

Dreams of a moment… James Sparshatt’s photographs of music and dance capture the emotion and intensity of people lost in the rhythm of the moment. The work is available as silver g...