VOICES OF HUNTSVILLE | Neville Simpson's Leap of Faith from Engineer to Artist

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VOICES OF HUNTSVILLE | Neville Simpson’s Leap of Faith from Engineer to Artist

Like many people in the Huntsville area, I landed here to work as an engineer on a NASA contract, which initially was supposed to be a two-year gig that turned into a blessed 20-year career. Shortly after moving to Huntsville in 2000, I joined a local church and prayed to discover my ministry. My answer came when I overheard a conversation regarding how the church used to have a photographer. I decided to purchase my first camera, and within a year, I was appointed church photographer and subsequently established my photography business.

Now, two decades later, I continue to lead the photography ministry at my church while running three separate photography companies: Neville Simpson Photography – specializing in weddings and family portraits; Headshot HSV – providing professional headshots and corporate events photography; and recently launched HSV and Beyond Art Gallery – a website offering motivational art canvases, featuring images from Huntsville and beyond.

Giving Back

Photography is more than a business to me; it is a ministry that allows me to use my God-given talents and resources to bless others. A minimum of 10 percent of the profits from all my work goes back to supporting the community through scholarships and donations.

One such piece that does this is called “Rocket City of Love.” Space Camp is a unique opportunity, no matter someone’s age, but for a kid, having the opportunity to attend Space Camp is remarkable. Many children in our area dream of being an astronaut, engineer, or working closely with the space program, which makes attending space camp a life-changing experience. Each sale of “Rocket City of Love” benefits a child wishing to visit Space Camp.

I graduated from Tuskegee University in 2000 with a degree in engineering. I remember being in school and not fully understanding what I was going to do with my life, or how to get there. But now that I’m on the right path, I’ve established the Neville Simpson Foundation, which has provided $4,000 in scholarships to Tuskegee University students, and each student also gets a professional headshot to share with their bios, on their LinkedIn page and social media while job hunting.

I want to give as many children as I can the opportunity to enjoy experiences and opportunities they otherwise wouldn’t have had available. In addition to sending children to Space Camp and recognizing excellent students at Tuskegee University, I also help those who need extra care, love, and guidance. Over the past two years, I’ve sponsored two students to attend the local Operation Nehemiah Summer Program, and look forward to sponsoring another child this year. 

Empowerment

I want to use my gifts to give back to the community in as many ways as possible. Some of my work recognizes notable black figures and celebrates milestones in the black community. My piece titled “1955” shows where Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. crossed paths. This was taken in Tuskegee, AL where Rosa Parks was born and commemorates the 13-month bus boycott sparked by Parks and led by MLK.

This year, I unveiled a new piece called “Economic Freedom,” inspired by a scene from Regina King’s movie, One Night in Miami. In the movie, Jim Brown says, “If the goal is for us to be free, to really be free,” and Malcolm X interjects, “and you know it is.” Brown continues, “Then the key is economic freedom.” This is true. For someone to be free, they must first have economic freedom and this piece is a reminder.

Love

If we open our eyes and look around, we can find signs of love all around us, but the hardest part is taking off the blinders. Last year our family moved into a new neighborhood and our new neighbor greeted us with a beautiful flower as a welcome home gift. I took a picture to send her as a thank you, and upon further inspection, I saw five hearts hidden within the petals. “You are Loved” became the title of the piece because it shows us how love can be found in even the simplest of gifts. 

Yellow is a popular color as it shows cheerfulness, happiness and symbolizes friendship. Yellow roses are given as a sign of friendship. By giving a yellow rose, the giver is spreading optimism to the receiver. In a world with so much division, it’s important to find these symbols of love and caring and spread them to others.

Since moving to Huntsville, finding God, and making a home in my church, I’ve truly discovered my proper path. My purpose is to share the world’s beauty through my photography and provide others with stepping stones toward their dreams. I thought I would be an engineer for life, but it turns out that taking a leap of faith and having the support of my family and friends has given me more blessings than I thought possible. 

Neville Simpson is an award-winning photographer based in Huntsville. He’s been recognized with the Brides Choice Award as best photographer 2012-2018, won the 2018 Entrepreneur Photographer of the year, the 2018 Shutterfest Vision Award, and was voted one of two top wedding photography studios in the Tennessee Valley. His work has appeared in major publications such as Architectural Digest, Southern Brides, Ebony, Business Weekly among many others. He is passionate about his work behind and in front of the camera and uses the talents God blessed him with to support his community. You can see even more of his work and follow him on Instagram here.

Neville, thank you for your sharing your incredible personal journey with us! We really loved hearing not only about your journey into photography and art, but how you go there, how you give back, and the story behind all of it. Looking forward to seeing more beautiful art from you in the future!

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