August 25, 2016

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mark B.

Local Stories

Mark, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I began studying photography in 7th Grade when I took a photography class. I don’t want to date myself too much, but we were using dual-lens reflex cameras and using actual film. You know, the kind that had to be developed and printed in a darkroom. I was always kind of an introvert in middle school and through high school–I was always observing people, and with my camera, I was very quick to discover their personality and capture that essence–if you will–on film. I really enjoyed the challenge of getting people to “be themselves on purpose.”

Unfortunately, when I was a freshman in college, all of my photo gear got stolen–at the time, it was probably $5,000 worth of cameras, lenses, and accessories that I had been buying and collecting since 7th grade. As a college student, there was no way I could replace it, and I didn’t have the time or the will to start over from scratch. So I kind of gave it up for many years.

Then I saw a Black Friday ad for a pretty awesome Nikon camera kit. I had never lost the love of photography–just got distracted by various careers–so when I saw this, it was too good to be true. It was the first and only time I have actually stood in line for a store. After I bought it, it was like I had never been away from photography at all–except, of course, everything was digital! But all of the technical knowledge and skills were still there. And the most important aspect for me has always been getting my subjects to “be themselves on purpose.”

Before I realized what was happening, I was getting calls and emails from actors and models and expanding my craft to commercial and product work. Talk about a time machine–I feel like I’m in high school again, pursuing my passion and having tons of fun taking pictures!

Has it been a smooth road?
As I discussed previously, losing all of my equipment was a devastating blow to me personally and emotionally. The part that I left out of that story was that I was at the Air Force Academy getting ready to pursue one of my other passions–flying. So in some sense, I traded one passion for another as I pursued my flying career, traveled the world while serving my country.

What has been the proudest moment of your career so far?
That’s a very hard question for me because I am the type who is constantly grinding to get better. So I don;t measure my success in terms of big moments. But I feel a great deal of pride every time someone tells me how much they like my portfolio. Of course, after saying all of that, there was something that happened recently that was kind of cool. I was framing one of my “traffic-scapes” just for my own personal use and the guy at the frame shop asked me where I got the picture. When I told him that I took it, he told me that I could sell it for a ton of money. He even offered to buy it from me for way more than I would have thought. (No, I didn’t sell it–it looks great on my wall!)

Tell us more about the struggles you’ve faced along the way.
I suppose that some people would look at what I do and think that there must be struggles, but I don’t see them that way. I mean, people pay me to take pictures of them. How cool is that? It’s too much fun and too much of a privilege to call anything connected to it as a “struggle.”

Is LA a good place to do what you do?
I think LA is one of the best places in the world for photographers. There is such a wealth of beautiful locations, diverse characters, performing artists, businesses, world-class landscapes and other talented people that it can’t be beat. Of course, there is also more competition from a business perspective, but the more you can distinguish yourself, the more business you can capture. So yes, I would highly encourage people to shoot everything they possibly can here in Los Angeles. Develop your “voice” as an artist and then mine that niche for all it’s worth.

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