DIY Photography

Your one stop shop for everything photo-video

  • News
  • Inspiration
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • DIY
  • Gear
Search

Submit A Story

In Memoriam: Legendary Photographer Mary Ellen Mark Passes Away At Age 75

May 26, 2015 by Tiffany Mueller Leave a Comment

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

mary-ellen-mark

Mary Ellen Mark, a legend among photographers, sadly passed away on May 25th, 2015 at the age of 75. A representative from her offices has confirmed her passing in an official statement sent to members of the press, which remembers the artist by noting, “Mary Ellen touched so many people throughout the world. We all celebrate her fierce and passionate spirit.”

Mary Ellen Mark was born March 20, 1940 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania–the same town she would pick up her first camera, a Kodak Brownie, at the ripe young of nine years old. Mark would go on to earn a Bachelor’s degree in painting and art from the University of Pennsylvania in 1962, in addition to a Master’s degree in photojournalism from the Annenberg School for Communication in 1964. In 1992, and again in 1994, the same school awarded Mark with honorary doctorates in the fine arts.

The photographer began making a name for herself upon moving to New York City in the late 1960’s where she developed a passion for photographing the people “on the edge”, including the Vietnam protests, the women’s liberation movement, and transvestite culture. Throughout her entire career, Mark made it a point to remain aware of the fringes, focusing a great deal of her attention to documenting drug abuse, prostitution, and runaways.

“I’m just interested in people on the edges. I feel an affinity for people who haven’t had the best breaks in society. What I want to do more than anything is acknowledge their existence.” –Mary Ellen Mark (Salon Magazine)

In 1969, Mark began shooting production stills on the set of Alice’s Restaurant. Over the course of the following 39 years, Mark would work as production photographer on 100 different movies, including American Heart, which Mark also wrote and served as the associate producer. American Heart was produced by her husband, Martin Bell.

maryellenmark

Mark’s work has been published in many major publications including TIME, Rolling Stone, The New Yorker, and Vanity Fair, in addition to 17 photography books the artist had published. She was the recipient of countless awards and grants, such as the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award and a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, both of which she won three times.

“I’m staying with film, and with silver prints, and no Photoshop. That’s the way I learned photography: You make your picture in the camera. Now, so much is made in the computer… I’m not anti-digital, I just think, for me, film works better.” –Mary Ellen Mark (The Philadelphia Enquirer)

YouTube video

[ h/t Lawrence Schwartzwald | Philly.com ]

 

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Related posts:

Photographer Souvid Datta admits plagiarizing the work of Mary Ellen Mark Supermodel Helena Christensen And Iconic Photographer Mary Ellen Mark Share Their Inspirations Mary Ellen Mark: “It’s not what you shoot with, it’s the pictures you make…” Lino Manfrotto, the founder of Manfrotto, passes away at 80

Filed Under: news

Tiffany Mueller: from diyphotography.net

About Tiffany Mueller

Tiffany Mueller is a photographer based in Hawi, Hawaii. You can follow her Twitter here and her personal life here.

« Electrophotography Uses Xerox Machines to Create Photos
Videographer pleads guilty to “Unauthorized Photography,” world does not implode »

Submit A Story

Get our FREE Lighting Book

DIYP lighting book cover

* download requires newsletter signup

Recent Comments

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Learn photography

Recent Posts

  • AstrHori new 28mm f/13 2x Macro Periscope lens sees round corners
  • Sony World Photography Awards under fire for age limitations in Student contest
  • 5 ways to find inspiration when the weather is sad and grey
  • Photographers, keep an eye out for auroras around the world this weekend
  • How to make beautiful frozen soap bubble photos this winter

Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.netUdi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

Alex Baker: from diyphotography.netAlex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

David Williams: from diyphotography.netDave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred: from diyphotography.netJohn Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.netDunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

Copyright © DIYPhotography 2006 - 2023 | About | Contact | Advertise | Write for DIYP | Full Disclosure | Privacy Policy