You might just now be noticing this, but yeah, my business name is a pun that I used my last name to create. Hi, my name is Mark. I am an 18-year-old photographer, born and raised in Pennsylvania. Throughout my early childhood, I was always interested in art in general! I loved to draw, paint, take photos, take videos, and do anything that involved making something creative. As I grew, I discovered more and more that I love cameras! I was around the age of 9 when I received my first one. It was a little Kodak point-and-shoot. My great-grandparents bought it for me and my siblings because they knew we loved the old point-and-shoot cameras my parents had. I used that thing day in and day out. Shot videos on it, took photos, heck, even used it to record sound by putting the lens against a pillow, just so that I could listen back to it later and enjoy my creation. It was with me almost everywhere. Then, I remember in the summer of 6th grade, I went to a Boy Scout camp, where they offered the Photography merit badge. I took along my Kodak (Which, somehow, still worked amazingly) and had the time of my life. Every day, photography was a joy. I took hundreds of photos at that camp. That is when I really realized that I had a talent and love for photography.  

Fast forward to a year later, and I was doing photography on a pretty regular basis. Not so much that I went out of the way to go places just to take photos, but it was getting quite close.  My grandfather had just bought a much nicer Sony Cybershot camera, and when I went to a camp in Texas with him and a lot of my extended family that summer, I borrowed it consistently. I borrowed it so much that week that when we returned from Texas, I was set on getting one for myself. I saved up for it, doing odd jobs here and there, and being careful to not spend more than I had to, until finally, Black Friday came around, and I bought the camera. I don't think that I have ever been more excited in my life! I got to use it the same day that I bought it, taking photos at my Brother's soccer game. I ran up and down the sidelines, taking photo after photo until I was out of breath.  Somewhere along the way, I decided that I wanted to always be able to feel the joy of taking photos. 

After that, I began to save for nicer equipment. My great-uncle gave me his old and very out-of-use Canon 10D, which was one of the first digital cameras that Canon ever released, way back in the early 2000s. Along with the camera, he gave me a beat-up 50mm and let me borrow 2 other lenses. The quality was very poor, but I still loved it and took it everywhere, being sure to send him constant updates on the best photos I took whenever I got cooler ones. I believe that it was Christmas of 2021 when I finally had enough money to buy a much newer and much nicer Canon M50. While still an entry-level camera, the purchase allowed me to level up my game into early professional results, and I was so happy. Since then, I have been upgrading my equipment and taking photos even more consistently, sometimes even going out for hours on end to take a single photo.  Other cameras that entered my collection are the Canon 6D, a somewhat old but very reliable full-frame DSLR, and very recently, I saw an opportunity to buy a Canon R7 and took it with joy.  I now have quite a few lenses, cameras, and equipment to allow me to take photos even in some of the most extreme situations. If 12-year-old Mark was able to see some of the jobs and opportunities I get to experience now, I think he would be excited beyond belief.  Quite honestly, even the present Mark is. 

I have come a long way on the journey to where I am now, and the last thing that I have to do is to thank those who have allowed me to get this far. My mentor was my great-uncle, who coached me along the way and fueled my creativity until it blazed into a full fire, which I watch grow on the daily. I also have to sincerely thank both of my parents, who have encouraged my journey, and even gone out of their way to allow some of my greatest photos to happen, whether that was driving out of the way to stop at a photogenic location on a road trip,  or helping to carry my gear when it was too much for me, or waiting patiently while I tried to get the lighting right (because I would always forget that I needed to do this). Lastly, I would like to thank my grandfather, who helped me to start this whole journey by teaching me the basics of cameras and letting me borrow his, no matter how many times I asked for it. It is through the patience and encouragement of these people that I can confidently say that I am at a level of photography that I only dreamed of 6 years ago.  I praise God for who I am today!