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Mark Mann is a New York-based celebrity and advertising photographer who is known for his vivid and intimate celebrity portraits. His editorial work has appeared in Esquire, Men’s Health, Vibe, Spin, Fortune, Billboard, Parade and Complex, among many others. As a Leica Photographer, his photographic style has been described as truly groundbreaking.

Mann has become known for the powerful ways he connects with each person he photographs. When discussing his work he stated that “while I’m playing with the technical aspects of light, lens, and composition, I’m also working hard to provoke authentic moments of anticipation, joy, ridiculousness, or just a wistful instance that allows the person to forget the camera entirely and engage only with me”. His photography not only captures the personality, but the spirit of all subjects, evoking genuine expression. To this day, it is his up close and personal approach that has made him renown.

=Early Life=

Mark Mann was born in Glasgow Scotland on July 14th 1968. The interest in photography first sparked when Mann was in sixth-grade. Many of his art teachers, including Mr. David Marshall, were enthusiastic about showing him the basics of photography. However, it was the moment that he first entered the dark room and saw the paper go into the developer, that forever changed his life. Mann has even described this moment as “alchemy”. A few years later, on a train returning from a fortuitous meeting, Mann met a girl who was studying photography at Manchester Polytechnic, who was on her way to the Edinborough Festival. Simple yet so memorable, it was from this point forward, that he knew that photography was something he wanted to be involved with for the rest of time.

In 1987, he attended Manchester Polytechnic in Manchester England, where he studied in the prestigious photographic program. Soon after gaining his Arts Degree in 1991, Mann was assisting innovative fashion photographers like Nick Knight and Miles Aldridge. These monumental British photographers meaningfully influenced Mann, which in turn enabled him to build his own sense of portrait style, and begin his body of work. Once Mark started photographing on his own, he relocated to New York City where he still lives with his wife, son, and their Chihuahua Shaq.

=Photographic Career=

Mark Mann has shot countless celebrities, including Robert Redford, Michael Douglas, Iggy Pop, Jack Black, the Black Eyed Peas, Jerry Seinfeld, Dave Chappelle, Rihanna, Queen Latifah, Simon Baker, Stevie Wonder, Bradley Cooper, Willie Nelson, Sean Connery, John Hamm and Jennifer Hudson. Mark has amassed a sizable advertising portfolio, as well. His clients run the gamut: Reebok, Adidas, Hennessy, Bombay Sapphire, Pepsi, Gillette, Vitamin Water, NHL, Zumba, Ford, Chrysler and Svedka to name a few. Over the years, he has photographed numerous other notable individuals and celebrities all across the country and his work has been included in several coffee table books and displays like at the New Museum in New York City.

Mark has expressed that one of his favorite commissions was his yearlong project for Esquire Magazine, “The Life of Man”. In this project he shot 80 extraordinary American men ages 1 through 80, to celebrate 80 years of Esquire Magazine. The project took Mark all across the country, and gave the opportunity to celebrate the young, the old, movie legends, and rock stars. A unique and compelling representation of not only the development of men, but development of Mark Mann’s photography style and approach.

This project even took him to the White House where he was honored to shoot the sitting president, Barack Obama, as well as former President Bill Clinton. In an interview with Lord Willy’s, he reflected on the portrait of President Obama saying “as an immigrant to his country an invite to photograph a sitting president is the biggest honor I could have received”. Mann, known for his ability to capture individuals through his tendency to shoot wideopen, produces the clarity and depth to the images characterized by his portrait photography, no matter what the situation may be.

=Photography Projects=

In November 2020, Mark launched a new venture along with Tony Award Nominated Producer Jacob Levy called Complicated Things. Complicated Things is a YouTube channel and production studio that was started due to the countless requests on Instagram for tutorials on how to execute certain skills and techniques. The purpose of the channel is to share the over 30 years of experience Mark has as a working professional photographer. Their goal is to teach others how to “up their game” in the photography realm. Mark's witty banter and playful nature enable him to take seemingly mundane subjects, such as budgeting, and make them entertaining.

Most recently, Mark created a critically acclaimed coffee table book, “Movement at the Still Point: An Ode To Dance”, which has transcended into a visual statement on photography and dance. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Mark Mann became still for the first time in his career, and longed for the humanity he had once been accustomed to. He had the honor to photograph more than 140 of the most prestigious dancers in the New York City community, ranging from Tiler Peck, Skylar Brandt, and Sara Mearns to Andy Blankenbuehler, Chita Rivera, Carmen de Lavallade, and many more. The impact and legacy of these dancers span many generations and disciplines and he is a “testament to the power of expression, in movement and stillness”, published by Rizzoli International in spring of 2023.

=Awards=

Given the mass amount of portraits and projects Mark Mann has participated in, it was to no surprise that he was awarded the Communication Arts Award of Excellence in 2014 and 2015.

=Publications=


 * Politico: Behind the camera with Mark Mann for Esquire’s 80th anniversary https://www.politico.com/media/story/2013/10/behind-the-camera-with-mark-mann-for-esquires-80th-anniversary-001212/


 * Dell Technologies: Cameras, Computers, and the Creative Process https://www.dell.com/en-us/blog/cameras-computers-creative-process-photographer-mark-mann/


 * The Leica Camera Blog: https://leica-camera.blog/2014/03/14/mark-mann-creating-timeless-portraiture/
 * Professional Photographer: Mark Mann Gets in Your Face: https://www.ppa.com/ppmag/articles/mark-mann-gets-in-your-face
 * Professional Photographer: Opening the Window: https://www.ppa.com/ppmag/articles/opening-the-window
 * Rotolight: Mark Mann: https://www.rotolight.com/master-of-light/mark-mann/
 * The B&H Photography Podcast: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts/photography/new-paths-new-projects-mark-mann-bh-photography-podcast
 * Fotografiska: Leica Akademie: Mark Man https://www.fotografiska.com/nyc/events/leica-akademie-mark-mann/
 * Good Life Project: https://www.goodlifeproject.com/podcast/mark-mann-photographing-the-greats/
 * The Portrait System: An Incredible Journey with Mark Mann https://suebryceeducation.com/blog/an-incredible-journey-with-mark-mann/
 * Hahnemuhle: Mark Mann: Up close to the celebrities https://blog.hahnemuehle.com/en/markmann/
 * The Portrait System Podcast: Celebrity photographer Mark Mann Shares His Incredible Journey: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/celebrity-photographer-mark-mann-shares-his-incredible/id1496288925?i=1000514834881
 * ISO 1200: https://www.iso1200.com/2021/02/mark-mann-talks-about-5-photos-alice.html
 * Boo York City: https://www.iso1200.com/2021/02/mark-mann-talks-about-5-photos-alice.html
 * The Hundreds: https://thehundreds.com/blogs/content/mark-mann-interview