Biography

OM System Ambassador

The simplest way to describe Mark's genre is elemental photography. Mark is a seasoned Storm chaser and Scuba diver both of which form the basis for some of his work. His fascinating portfolio includes genres such as Night Sky/Space, Extreme Weather (Tornadoes, Monsoons & Hurricanes), Aurora, Underwater World and Tidal Bores.  Mark's travel and adventure environments push his camera gear to extremes (performing underwater, in hurricane force winds, dust storms, monsoons, freezing Arctic temperatures & extreme heat. It is these extreme environments that drew Mark to the Olympus/OM System.  On his travels utilising a compact, portable system is a must for him.

Mark has worked with many major TV companies, his elemental photographs have been featured in major UK exhibitions and published around the world in National newspapers and magazines.

What does photography mean to you and how does it make you feel when you take pictures?

"Working with the elements is challenging and I love a good technical challenge. But mainly, the subjects or environments in which I work, are live and fluid. No single moment in time is the same, even at an exact location. Therefore when I take a photo it really does capture a moment in time. By way of example, I am fascinated with the night sky and Space. Look into the night sky and you look back in time. The sky at night is a vastness beyond comprehension, full of celestial objects like galaxies, stars, planets and the Moon.  Gaze into a clear night sky and you get drawn into another world, a world as it was in the past.

Many of my images tell a story, whether the subject matter or process of composition. To think that my photos capture elements within our galaxy and beyond, photos that go back in time, it’s essentially taking photos from a modern day time machine. In short, mind blowing".

What system benefits do you use the most, and how do they help your photography?

The Live Composite feature must be my most used and go-to tool from the camera. For example, I recently captured a stunning series of star trail and meteor images with the OM-1. Each long exposure was a whopping 5 hours using this Live Composite mode. The final images show 5 hours of Earth's rotation with beautiful Perseid meteors flying over the Celestial North Pole (Polaris). The camera has essentially captured something our eyes cannot see in a single moment of time. A symbiotic relationship with our galaxy and beyond, looking at a subject that is millions of years old. It really is beautiful and incomprehensible.

Does the weight of the camera help your work? Are you able to carry more kit, travel longer, and be more comfortable?

I travel a fair bit too so portability and weight play a massive part in what I can use, particularly overseas. I have just returned from a scuba diving adventure in Egypt and my hand luggage bag included the OM-1, 100-400mm, 7-14mm, 8mm, Tough TG-6, PT housing and UFL strobe, along with all the batteries and accessories. Incredible really that so much can fit into small hand held bag. It increases my diversity and ability to capture so much more during my travels.

Can you pick the top 5 reasons why you love taking pictures with the OM System, and why?

1. Portability - comfortable to hold and use, even with larger lenses.
2. Weather sealing - Can withstand all weather environments. I have left the OM-1 outside at night in freezing temperatures shooting 9hr long exposures with no problem.
3. Travel - A real compact, light and portable system to take travelling/overseas, without worrying about weight or leaving gear behind through fear of being overloaded.
4. Tools/Features - A plethora of in-built camera function or tools such as the amazing Live Composite, Multiple Exposure and Pro Capture allowing one to capture photos quicker and easier than ever before.
5. Image quality - Incredible image quality. When you take photos of the night sky (total darkness) and long exposures then image quality is paramount. The OM-1 produces stunning night sky results.

GEAR

Camera

OM-1

E-M1 mkII

Lens

M.Zuiko Digital ED 100-400mm F6-6.3

M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm F2.8 PRO II

M.Zuiko Digital ED 7-14mm F2.8 PRO

M.Zuiko Digital ED 8mm F1.8 Fisheye PRO

M.Zuiko Digital MC-20 2x Teleconvert

Underwater

Tough TG-6

Tough TG-5

PT-059 Underwater Case

FCON-T02 Fisheye Converter

UFL-3 Underwater Flash

PTSA-03 Flash holder

PTCB-E02 Optic Fibre Cable