In this pro photographer interview we caught up with Mark Benson and delved deeper into how he got started in photography, how he moved into the pro arena and also learned a few tips for those looking to improve their photography. Mark Benson’s pro photo website is located at tenaciouslens.com
1. What sorts of steps did you take to learn photography? Classes, books, etc?
I first got into photography when I was in high school. I always enjoyed art and drawing, so once I had the opportunity I started with graphic design doing lithography and screen printing, then my junior year I was able to take photography. The first day of class I didn’t even have a camera yet, but then a woman walked into the class selling her camera along with 3 lenses so I lucked out. This was of course film back in the day, so along with understanding the principles of light, the zone system and basic camera function, we had a full darkroom at our disposal.
After high school, the camera went into storage for years where it would occasionally make it’s way back into my hands but that was a rare thing until 2007. I went on a trip down the Washington / Oregon / California coast and decided I should be using my camera, and not just a disposable one. It was during that trip that I completely fell in love with photography again. I bought my first Digital SLR in 2008 and then from there it was all about lots of reading, online research and mostly trial and error.
2. Tell us about your experiences getting started as a professional photographer.
Ah, the joys of starting a business… Photography no less… I am also a trained Chef, and I moved back to my home state of Utah in 2009 from Las Vegas. I wanted to be closer to my daughters and family and Vegas is a hard place to make a home as you can imagine. I worked for less than a year in a restaurant in town and ended up getting laid off due to the struggling economy and just the restaurant business in general, and so I was left with a serious dilemma. I had already been doing the occasional photography job on the side, and a light went on after I was jobless. A good friend of mine who already had started a few businesses of his own talked to me and inspired me to start promoting my skills and turn it into my own business. I have currently been in business now since July 2010.
3. You have a fairly active Facebook page and Twitter account. How important do you feel these aspects are to your business?
Facebook and social networking is huge now these days and I would be lost without it! 99% of my clients and followers have all come from Facebook. I am able to post photos and albums from Photoswarm straight to Facebook allowing people to be directed straight to my website, so if they have any questions about pricing, want to see more of my work, wish to contact me or even purchase prints they can do any of that.
4. How important is having a website to what you do and what aspect or feature of Photoswarm do you most value?
Having a website means you now have a legitimate store front and face to your business that people can go to anytime at their convenience. Customers and potential clients are able to view my work and decide if I am the right fit for their needs. Also, if I have a client I have recently done a shoot for, I can post photos to my site for them to view at a higher resolution.
I like the quality and speed at which you can view photos as well as the option for People to purchase prints all in the same visit. The price to host a site is incredibly affordable and great for newcomers to get started.
5. Do you remember your first photography sale?
One of my first photography sales was quite by accident actually. I was at an art festival last summer here in Salt Lake City and I rented a great Nikon 70‐200 2.8 VR II that I wanted to try out on the crowds. I was shooting a local band on the stage when a woman approached me and asked if she might be able to contact me to view and possibly purchase a few prints, because one of the performers was her husband. Months and months went by and I never heard from her so I gave up hope for that one. In early December of 2010 I got an email from her out of the blue and she ordered a 20” x 30” canvas wrap along with some other assorted prints to give to her husband as a Christmas gift. It ended up being a very lucrative sale. My new motto is: Always have your camera with you, even when you aren’t “working”…. You never know what you may miss.
6. What about photography captivates your interest?
I have always had an interest for art in general, and I really love the idea that you can essentially trap time… a moment… and create your own interpretation with those moments. It’s almost like witchcraft to me.
7. Would you give a brief walk through your workflow?
I shoot 99% of my work in RAW format, and I push extra hard to get everything right in camera to make the most of my time. Yes, you can adjust white balance, exposure etc. all in post editing, but that not only takes more time, but the more you alter a photo, the more quality you are going to lose. So I load my photos into Lightroom 3 and will make quick adjustments, copy and sync them, then delete obvious photos that don’t make the cut. I will make a collection of my “keepers” then go in and do a more thorough round of fine tune edits. If I see a need for any further sharpening or other adjustments, I will finish up in Photoshop, save as a Tiff, then save a Jpeg for web or CD.
8. Can you tell us about your creative process?
I generally don’t really know what I’m going to capture when I take my camera out. I will have ideas and vague glimpses, but I work on a spur of the moment inspirational journey. I will just start shooting, and wait for the feeling to present itself. When I shoot models, we both just find a groove and I’m very open to their ideas. The more comfortable they are, the more we both win.
9. What single thing do you like most about being a pro photographer and what single thing do you hate?
I love that I can work on my own time and create on my own time. There is nothing more rewarding than getting to just be inspired and then act on it over and over again. The one thing I hate about it is that people want everything for free, don’t value my time or what a photographer does.
10. What do you want to photograph that you’ve not yet shot?
I would absolutely love to shoot on a tropical island, New Zealand, Africa, Ireland, and the Italian and French countryside. National Geographic assignment photographer!
11. You’ve moved into food photography. How did that come about and how difficult do you feel it is to other forms of photography?
As I mentioned earlier I am actually a trained chef, graduate of Le Cordon Bleu Las Vegas with an associates degree, summa cum laude. I began taking photos of the food that I was serving right after I bought my first Digital SLR. Also, I have a food blog that I started up after I was laid off in 2010 just to occupy my time and to keep me from crying myself to sleep at night, ha ha…
I have some studio lighting in my home, so I started cooking recipes, posting them on my blog, and then taking photos of the final dish and occasionally of the whole cooking process. Through the wonders of social media, people started to see my food photos and have now been booking shoots for some local dessert and preserve products. I hit the thrift stores, hardware stores and art supply stores for all of my supplies and props and now I’m in business! Food photography is very tedious and time consuming, especially for someone as anal as myself. Cookies and pastries are one thing; wait until you are shooting a freshly cooked meal that has to look hot and fresh or a dressed salad that isn’t looking to fresh after 20 minutes in the light tent… Without my culinary knowledge, this would not be happening without a consultant / assistant.
12. How do you go about getting the best out of the models you shoot?
The one thing I’ve discovered about models is this… If they show up late or not at all, they generally don’t have what I need. Punctuality, professionalism, and a good attitude shows in your work, posing and overall look as a model. I will start off just shooting and talking to the model with the realization that the first 15 minutes of the shoot aren’t going to be “keepers”. Until they are comfortable, you can see the reluctance in their eyes. What I find is that as soon as they feel that their input is taken seriously by me, it boosts their confidence and they realize, “Hey, I don’t think this guy is gonna bite me, he’s kinda cool actually”.
13. Which one item of equipment would you say is the most important to you?
The most important item in my arsenal are my eyes. I see and compose my photographs all day long even when I don’t have my camera. I can see the dynamic range of a photograph before my camera tells me that there is going to be some severe clipping in sky portion of my photo, or from a glare of a window or building. At the same time, our eyes can deceive us because they are the most advanced lenses on the planet and can adjust for extreme brights and shadows, unlike the camera. But, with the right direction, a camera can capture things our eyes cannot adjust to, with long exposures and some patience.
14. What quick advice would you have for someone who wants to improve his or her photography skills?
Never ever, ever assume that you know everything, or even enough, about photography. I have been to two workshops in the past few months just to get more in tune with my creative process. The more you push that shutter, the closer you come to a fuller understanding of all the aspects of photography. Read books, lots of books and publications. Instead of looking at what local photographers are doing and copying their work, look up some random photographer from half way across the globe and get some real inspiration…
Stand out above all your competition.
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aidan 6:57 pm on November 20, 2010 Permalink
After a bit of investigation we’ve managed to get to the bottom of the issue. It turns out we were the victims of hardware failure.
We’re going to continue running as usual on the new machine.