I became interested in photography when I was in the 2nd grade. Why do I remember that time? Because I visited President Eisenhower at his home in Palm Desert, CA and took a picture of him all by myself! Boy, was I proud.
Fifteen years later, after getting a degree in psychology, I went to the Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, CA, because I wanted to become a commercial/advertising photographer. I started my first studio in 1980, and did all kinds of product photography for 10 years, until I decided that if I was told to make another computer look “sexy”, I was going to have to shoot myself (and I’m not talking about using a Hasselblad).
I never thought I’d be able to do portrait work, because I’m actually an introvert, who is often shy about engaging with others. I also didn’t think that I would have the patience to deal with kids. That quickly changed…I think maybe having a daughter of my own helped my comfort level with children. Anyway, in 1990, I started doing family portrait work, and realized that I should have been doing that all along.
My background in commercial/advertising photography gave me a rich experience of lighting all kinds of subjects, and after 25 years, and literally thousands of portraits, you can bet that I’ve got a decent understanding of how to pose any kind of group.
I started out doing a wide range of portrait styles, primarily because I’m kinda ADD, and I have a history of chasing a lot of artistic squirrels! If you would like to see a gallery of some of my better work over the years, feel free to Click Here.
The digital revolution in photography changed a lot of the dynamics in professional portrait work as more and more photographers joined in on the fun. Unfortunately at the same time, portrait styles grew more and more casual, due to the higher volume of less trained photographers.
I loved the beauty of more elegant, well posed portrait work, but that had largely slipped away because my marketplace shifted toward the new, casual approach.
Then I found my niche in the equestrian market. Happy day!
Equestrians have always had an elegance to their sport, and that appealed to me immediately. It was just what I needed at the right time, and I was blessed to be able to create a book project that gave me an extensive portfolio immediately. By trial and error, I customized my photography lighting to work well with horses (they are naturally very skittish), and I crafted my style of photography to maximize our sales capability by selling more paintings, albums and triptics.
I’ve had a number of friends encourage me to share what I’ve learned with other photographers who may be struggling to get more sittings on their calendar and are lost in figuring out how to do that. I hope this site, and the experience I’ve had over the past 6 years will help you find a path to greater success, and help you rise above all that noise in the marketplace.
Thanks for visiting. Please let me know how I can help you:
Mark
markbrandes@brandesportrait.com …. 805-367-8100
Book Portraits 