Mark will be our guest speaker during the
DMCC Best of the Best Award Ceremony.

Winging It - Completing a Photo Assignment When Everything Goes Wrong
Over years of commercial and editorial photography for clients ranging from financial services institutions to internationally-circulated newsstand magazines to beer companies, I’ve encountered numerous situations where things went wrong on assignment. Some situations have been merely frustrating. Some have been frightening. Some have been nothing short of hilarious. On a few occasions, it has seemed as though everything that could go wrong, went wrong. In fact, I’ve sometimes thought wilderness survival might be easier than some photo assignments, and I’m often reminded of Yvon Chouinard’s (founder of Patagonia) famous quote about mountaineering: “It isn’t an adventure until something goes wrong.” This is very true in assignment photography.

In every case, regardless of what transpires on set or on location, every client still expects world-class photographs, delivered on time and under budget.

During this presentation, I’ll share some humorous stories and behind-the-scenes photos of occasions where “everything went wrong” on assignment, and I'll discuss a slightly different form of photographic creativity: the art of winging it in photography. That is, thinking fast and creatively on-the-fly to solve problems and keep a photography project from either spiraling out of control or falling on its face. This may mean on-the-spot changes of logistics or talent, scavenging or building make-shift props well beyond “the last minute,” or even being forced to rely on what I simply call "unplanned experimental photography.”

But whatever the case, “winging it” requires creative thinking in and of itself. We’ll discuss some keys to creatively keeping a photographic assignment, self-assignment, or project on-track in the face of unplanned challenges.

Mark’s Background:
Mark’s photographic experience has spanned the full gamut of photography over his career: from early days as the sole staff photographer at a small college public relations office, to years as a fine-art photographer selling photographic artwork on the regional art festival circuit, to roles as principal staff photographer for advertising agencies, to many years of freelancing. Mark produced and sold stock travel images via multiple stock agencies and has executed a number of gallery shows over the years. His fine art images hang in public and private photography collections in the US and in Europe.