LANCASTER − For those who see Lukas Sparks round there is a good likelihood he’s holding a digital camera or a notepad.
Sparks is a journalist and photographer for the U.S. Army Reserves and likewise has a personal sector job taking automotive pictures for Columbus auto dealerships.
For his army obligation, he takes pictures and writes tales for military web sites.
“We write articles about what could be happening at no matter occasion we’re at,” Sparks mentioned. “So we’re just about full-time journalists, photographers and videographers.”
He began his army contract in 2020 after attending Ohio College as a communications main.
“I did not used to have superb individuals abilities,” Sparks mentioned. “I went and compelled myself into a extremely people-filled, talk-filled college and I acquired into pictures there. And once I considered becoming a member of the army I took all my testing they usually supplied this job.”
He mentioned he did not assume journalism and pictures was even a job within the army.
“Every time I inform individuals what I do for the military they’re like, ‘That is a job?'” Sparks mentioned. “However it’s one of the best one they provide. It is an awesome job. On the military facet, when persons are on the market doing their job the one means their story will get instructed is by phrase of mouth within the army as a result of it is sort of non-public.
“However as soon as I will go on the market and take their quotes and their tales and their pictures, they will present their mates, their households and put it on-line. It makes them really feel like they’re actually doing one thing as a substitute of simply telling individuals this and that.”
Sparks is a metropolis resident who reviews to his army duties in Whitehall. His most up-to-date journey was in August to Wisconsin for a two-week army occasion that includes a number of totally different models in coaching.
“We lined tales on what they did there,” Lukas mentioned. “One factor I did was I went to a water purification plant the place they have been taking water out of the lake and purifying it by way of these machines and distributing it all through the entire camp. We lined a fueling unit and I acquired two of my tales and pictures put into the Actual McCoy newspaper lately. I believed that was fairly cool.”
Yearly Lukas goes on a two-week army journey to display what he does on his job. He additionally meets as soon as a month along with his unit in Whitehall to debate what tales they could cowl. The remainder of the time Lukas works his non-public freelance job.
Lukas acquired into journalism initially as a result of he thought it might be good ability to be taught.
“Now that I’ve seen what my tales and pictures do for individuals it retains me eager to do it,” he mentioned. “For instance, within the freelance world I’ve completed loads of automobile pictures for people who find themselves in love with their automobiles. They wish to see the aftermath.”
Lukas has additionally taken pet pictures for individuals. He additionally as soon as labored at a most safety jail, which he mentioned was harmful.
“It is a good change,” Sparks mentioned of journalism and pictures. “It will not be my perpetually job, for certain. However for proper now it positively pays the payments and permits me to loosen up just a little bit and have a traditional Monday by way of Friday 9 to five schedule.”
jbarron@gannett.com
740-681-4340
Twitter: @JeffDBarron
