MARK GREENAWALT – PHOTOGRAPHER

ARTIST STATEMENT –

Photography may not quite replicate the joy of drinking in the sensational beauty this world has to offer, but it can stimulate your mind to reminisce and relive those experiences. My wish for the viewers of my work is that they are moved and transported, if only for a moment, to revel in the sensory perception of being there, induced by their own collective memories and experiences. I’ve gazed on artistic pieces that have really moved me and I hope that mine may similarly move others.

ORIGIN STORY –

My current home is Phoenix, Arizona, but I’m originally from Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. As a kid I was lucky to have visited and photographed some really cool places like Niagara Falls, the Pyramid of the Sun in Mexico, and the Washington Monument. I still have those faded and grainy pictures taken with instamatic cameras. I later borrowed a “better” camera for my senior class trip to Disney World and it was my first introduction to a Single Lens Reflex (SLR) camera which opened my eyes to the wonders of camera settings and learning the tricks of the trade. Those pics were so much more vibrant and crisp, however I didn’t buy my own SLR camera, a Pentax K-1000, until I moved to Sierra Vista, Arizona in 1989 (I actually bought it for my girlfriend for Valentines day, but she never got into the hobby). One of my first projects with it was taking band photos of my rock band, ANTI-M, and using the dark room on base at Fort Huachuca to process some cool black and white promo shots!

Fast forward to 1996 or so, and I’m living in Nashville with the girlfriend I mentioned earlier (who has now been my wife since 1993…and still not interested in photography). I had started photographing models with the intent of using the poses as references for doing fantasy illustrations and paintings. Bad news turned to good news one night when someone broke into my car and stole my camera (the bad news) and then the insurance adjuster told me that model is no longer available and I would have to get the ‘new and improved’ Pentax PZ-1P with auto focus and more bells and whistles (the good news). I’d say this is the point that I truly became an avid photographer of destinations and people.

BUILDING PORTFOLIOS –

At the turn of the century, I moved back to Phoenix and spent a couple of decades practicing the art of bodypainting. Since the art on the models wasn’t permanent, photography was the only way to capture the imagery for posterity and I honed my skills at studio photography and invested in strobe lights by Alien Bees. This hobby also took me to some wonderful destinations to teach bodypainting such as China, Belgium, England, Canada, and various US locations which fed my wanderlust and my travel photography portfolio too.

One cold winter night, driving through Charleston, West Virginia, I stopped to brave the weather and snap some photos of the state capital building. Suddenly, I had started my architectural photography portfolio that now features 37 state capitals, 3 national capitals, and so many other iconic structures throughout the world. I also started a concert photography portfolio when I started shooting and writing for an online magazine called Burning Hot Events, which got me ‘up close and personal’ with my idols of Paul McCartney, Styx, Judas Priest, and many others. Speaking of stars, I also couldn’t ignore the opportunities to photograph lunar and solar eclipses, comets, and even the Aurora Borealis when it visited Arizona, so of course I had to begin and astrophotography portfolio, right?

As my skills improved, I also upgraded my camera several times so the resolution quality would also improve. My first digital camera was an Olympus C-3000 with a whopping 3.3 megapixels. I continued shooting with my Pentax using slide film too, till one fateful day in the Imperial Sand Dunes of California, when I got sand in my PZ-1P which led me to upgrade to the 6 megapixel Pentax *istD. I eventually took the plunge and switched to the Canon 5D mark i and bought all new lenses and now I have upgraded to the 5D mark iii (mirrorless is coming soon I’m sure).

BUILDING AN AUDIENCE –

I started my website when the internet was a new thing and showcased my photography (along with my other artistic outlets such as music, art, and writing). Early successes included selling prints of state capital buildings for a hotel chain, licensing images for phone downloads, and awards from photo competitions. My reach increased as MySpace made way for Facebook, Instagram, and such. Each evolution brought my images to new audiences and eventually I gained some collectors along the way. I opened my first physical gallery in 2024 at The Painted Tree at the Promenade in Scottsdale, Arizona, where I sell limited edition metal prints and other collectables with mostly images of Arizona scenes.

It has always been a big deal for me to see my work published in print, so it has been a thrill to have some covers and full page spreads in magazines feature my photography. Some are architectural images used for product placement and advertisements and others are bodyart images used to accompany articles. I published my first book, Coats of Paint – The Bodyart of Mark Greenawalt, in 2017 and have started working on the sequel, A Second Coat of Paint.

PAYING IT FORWARD –

I have learned so many things from fellow photographers and the many photography books that I have read, but the real education comes from just continuing to take more pictures and expanding my experiential knowledge base. In an effort to pay it forward, I have lectured on the arts of photography and lighting design for the Illuminating Engineers Society (IES) at numerous local and national conventions. I’m quick to share my camera settings and gear used with others and have some videos posted on YouTube of my processes.