About

Hello all, my name is Marco Sipriaso. I was born in Oakland, California. Soon after, we moved south to San Diego when my dad was stationed at the 32nd Street Naval Station.

The creative arts has always played an important role since I was a youngster. Whether it was drawing, painting or building things in wood shop class, I simply enjoyed the world of creating.

I applied that enjoyment into my schoolwork and graduated from San Diego State University with a B.A. in Applied Arts and Sciences with an emphasis in Graphic Design. Along the way, I took a few photography classes and was introduced to the awesome world of film photography. Since then, I have been blessed to continue working within the creative field and currently work as a graphic designer for a video game company in southern California.

Through the years, I have owned various cameras to simply capture life’s moments. In 2013 I purchased a Canon T3i to take with me on my adventures. I would practice shooting at favorite locations in town. As with most folks, I fell deep into the craft of image making and explored all genres of photography. I started to crave photographing places outside my hometown. I found myself exploring neighboring cities and experimenting with cityscapes and long exposures. I met many great creative people along the way, many who I still keep in contact with today.

Then one winter season, I found Bryce Canyon National Park and everything began to change. Sitting there on top of the amphitheater in the quiet light of sunset was so amazing. There were only four of us at that specific lookout and we simply took it all in and barely said a word. There was something really special about that quiet moment that was extremely different from the city photography I had been doing prior. It was after that trip to Bryce that my love and appreciate for the natural landscapes began to blossom.

Since that trip to Bryce Canyon, I’ve spent most of my free time exploring and making images of the more quiet and natural landscapes. Over the years these lands have given me solitude, quiet to clear my head and peace to recharge my mental batteries. It has provided that essential balance I need as a human. I am so thankful and grateful for these areas. It’s through my personal artwork that I hope to share and inspire others to experience it’s healing qualities and to help protect them for future generations.

Over the last few years, I have enjoyed exploring more of the smaller scenes in nature. By slowing down and observing I have been able to experience the finer details of an area. It’s those details that give an area it’s personality and flavor. The odds that another photographer will find that exact leaf in a giant forest is highly unlikely. There is something special knowing if I choose to share that image that it has more of a chance of being a unique one to join the global portfolio that we as a photographic community are slowly creating of an area.

I have found a different connection and meaning with my imagery the last few years. Those images tend to be more sentimental and unique not only from a visual perspective but from the overall experience standpoint. These images are precious mementos of adventures I have had with good friends. They are packed with stories of muddy pants, lost tripods, Sasquatch chronicles. and long late night drives. It’s these memories in between the photographs that give an image it’s soul. It’s these memories that can’t be enhanced by more megapixels or more stops of dynamic range. It’s these memories that are the beautiful synapses that tie together an artist’s body of work and adds a deeper beauty.

Moving into 2023 and beyond I plan on continuing to develop short and long-term thematic projects, adjust how I utilize social media and temper the amount of time I spend doing photography. It is through such changes I hope to find continued happiness, creative growth and find balance in life.

My absolute favorite time of the day is the early morning hours. It is during this quiet time that I find my peace, reflect and reset. There is no greater feeling than watching the morning light emerge from the east and paint the world gold. Each day is a blessing and each sunrise is a new start.

When I was a child, I remember my grandma being up really early in the mornings in our backyard. She would peacefully sit there in the quiet morning hours with her coffee. One morning, I went out there and curiously stood beside her. I can’t remember what I said (or if I said anything at all) but we both stood there quietly during sunrise. At the time I didn’t know what she was doing or why. Almost 35+ years later, I stand looking at that same morning light while making images and now I can honestly say I understand why.

The Morning Coffee.

Thank you for taking time out of your day to visit my collection of work. I hope you enjoy your stay.

- Marco

If you would like to see what I do during the day when I am not in the field making images, please visit this link.

Code of Ethics

I’m a proud member of Nature First: The Alliance for Responsible Nature Photography and I’m dedicated to following the supporting the Nature First Principles:

Prioritize the well-being of nature over photography.
Educate yourself about the places you photograph.
Reflect on the possible impact of your actions.
Use discretion if sharing locations.
Know and follow rules and regulations.
Always follow Leave No Trace principles and strive to leave places better than you found them.
Actively promote and educate others about these principles

For additional information on how to help preserve our natural landscapes for future generations, please consider visiting www.naturefirstphotography.org.