No Ordinary Photographer

Mark was exposed to travel at a young age;  born in the USA, but raised in Libya.  He attended college in both the United States and London.  Throughout these early years he was able to experience different cultures,  which left an indelible and lasting impression.

Being a creative individual,  he started an event company upon completing his education, where he would stage, light, decorate, and produce both corporate and private events,  culminating with his involvement in the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.  Of course he documented all his work via photographs, and subsequently two books.  This was his introduction into photography.  Feeling he had achieved the pinnacle with the Olympics, he then turned his attention and dedication full time to photography.  Starting off, he would enter local contests, and then progress as his confidence grew. In one regional photography contest,  Mark not only took first prize, but also second and third. Thus started his incredible journey.

Mark now had photography in his blood, it was part of his very being.  He began his serious study by contacting some of the best known photographers in the world,  submitting examples of his work, and asking for evaluation,  assistance,  and/or guidance.  To his surprise, three London photographers agreed to mentor and tutor him.  So he spent the next three years working diligently,  one on one with each, to learn his craft in great detail.

Like all truly great photographers, he focused on film,  as it is through this medium that one really learns the intricacies of composition,  light, and shadows. It is only through this medium that one can fine tune the creative eye, and understand all the elements of photography,  some obvious, some more obscure.  Of course this knowledge transfers to the digital world,  which Mark has done with expert craftsmanship.

However,  his is not the world of digital manipulation to achieve the latest trendy effect;  but rather his is the world of brilliantly capturing what the eye can not see.  His philosophy is that the lens reveals the soul of the world.  His accomplishments are the result of study, knowledge, understanding,  a creative eye and unique vision,  and above all: practice, practice, and more practice. This is all too rare in a world where anyone with a smart phone is instantly an expert “photographer”.

Of paramount importance to Mark is “giving back”.  He has set up programs to teach and guide young photographers in all parts of the world; to give back to those cultures from which he has learned so much and have touched him so deeply.  The initial project was in Bhutan teaching guides photography,  thereby giving them another skill to better serve their clients and earn extra income.  A smaller scale project was in Morocco, during which time where he joined a family of Berber nomads for a pilgrimage from the High Atlas Mountains into the Sahara Desert,  hiking over a 120 miles in rugged terrain.  His current project is in Bali.  Working closely with the Indonesian Consulate,  Mark’s current students have become recognized in their own right, achieving magazine covers,  exhibitions, and internships. He is as passionate about giving back, as he is about his photography, a truly unique combination for a quite remarkable individual.