From age five through my high school years, my parents would rent out our house for the summer and take the family camping, mainly in the southern Adirondacks of upstate New York, within commuting distance of my father's work at Dean Color photography studio in Glens Falls.  Our ventures instilled in us a love for the outdoors and it's no doubt why I do what I do today.  My love and thanks to my parents, Everett and Shirley.  I'm still an avid camper, paddler, and hiker.  However, I didn't start out as a nature photographer.  I went to college, became a geologist, and worked several years in the field.  Eventually I bought a camera, fell in love with exploring landscapes through a lens, and in 1994 became a full-time professional nature photographer and writer.  I couldn't have imagined what adventures lay ahead...

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I'm grateful for the opportunity to delve deep into photographing nature.  I'm enamored with the Art of Seeing, especially in revealing beauty previously overlooked.  I've explored dark night skies, been rewarded with otherworldly images, and the realization that there's untold beauty we can't possibly preconceive.  And I'm especially honored to share my work with fellow photographers through presentations, workshops and seminars, and with the public at large through speaking engagements and writing.  Since before turning pro, I've written and photographed extensively for Adirondack Life magazine, the region's premier publication.  To those who have taken workshops with me, my heartfelt gratitude for your support and friendship.  I plan to keep exploring and learning, pushing the bounds of what's possible to capture with a camera — in still images and moving pictures, and supplementing those impressions with my writing. It's a fascinating life-long journey of discovery.

 

For this journey, I have my wife, Rushelle — my beacon of light — to thank, for supporting my passion and sharing life together. 

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Artistically, I've been influenced by so many great landscape photographers, but none more so than my grandfather, Richard Dean, and Adirondack photographers, John Radigan and Joe LeFevre.  In 2006 John called me for a meeting and laid out his vision for an Adirondack Photography Institute that would teach the art of nature photography through workshops and tours.  It was a life-altering session and I've been a staff instructor ever since.  A few years later he instituted his concept of a photographic retreat.  We ran the first one together in 2010 and they've become some of my most cherished photographic experiences.  I've been part of each since their inception and continue to lead them.  John's thoughtful approach to landscapes, in which he used impressionistic techniques for presenting it in abstract ways, with the intent of conveying a feeling rather than a straight documentary rendering, taught me new ways of seeing and communicating.

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I also learned so much from my co-instructor and great friend, Joe, one of the finest composers of landscape images I've seen.  Sadly, Joe passed away in January, 2019.  I miss him dearly.  He was not only a wonderful photographer and friend, but a great teacher.  His work lives on through his imagery and his students, who both loved and respected him.  Joe and I were constantly bouncing creative ideas off one another.  He loved shooting panoramas and time-lapse sequences.  I exposed him to the great potential of night photography.  He taught me the power of video.  He also produced an incredible 4K video — Heaven on Earth: The Adirondacks.  You can view the official trailer on Vimeo and the video is available through his wife, Linda.  To purchase a copy, contact her at linda.lefevrephoto@gmail.com or 315-806-6554.

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There remains a wealth of photographic subjects to explore and much more to discover about the creative process.  Therein lies the allure.  I'm excited to continue the journey and I invite others to join me... In the Spirit of Awe & Wonder.

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                                                                                       Mark

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