John Poppleton | UV Body Painter & Blacklight Photographer

We are extremely privileged to have John Poppleton onboard as one of our Licensed Artists.   Please read John's Bio below and learn about this amazing accomplished artist

Also please follow & support him on Socail Media ad his website:

Website: www.jpunderblacklight.com
Instagram: @underblacklight
Facebook:  @JohnPoppletonUVArt
You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/user/sunkistphoto/videos

John Poppleton

I was born and raised in Carmichael California, a suburb of Sacramento. I was the youngest of seven children with a twenty five year spread between me and the first. My sister who lived next door gave birth to her first child (a daughter) five months after I was born. Growing up with nieces my own age resulted in always feeling more comfortable around members of the opposite sex and has somehow made them feel more comfortable around me. 

I've always been very fascinated by nature and the world around me. My mom thought I would grow up to become a botanist because I was always studying the different plants and leaves found around the house. I grew up on a large piece of property that gave me plenty of room to explore without ever leaving home. I spent most of my time building treehouses and forts to catching frogs and fish in the creek.

I loved anything creative from arts and crafts to music but never sat still long enough to master anything. I loved learning but hated school. I was ready to drop out of highschool my junior year. Trying to find something to keep me in school the guidance counselor suggested photography. I had always loved looking at pictures but had never stopped to consider how they were made. Once in the photography class I found it to be the most exciting thing I'd ever been exposed to. I couldn't get enough of it at school and I soon had my own darkroom and studio set up at home.  

After high school I moved with my parents to my father's hometown of Wellsville, Utah, a quiet little town seventy five miles north of Salt Lake City. It was here that friends talked me into photographing their wedding. I reluctantly accepted and soon the word was out, leading to a full time career as a wedding and portrait photographer for over 25 years. It had it's moments but I had never wanted to get stuck in that area of photography. I kept doing it for the money and because I have a hard time telling people no.

I tried to make the wedding pictures more creative by putting brides on rooftops and in abandoned factories which kicked off the whole "trash the dress" movement.