Mark McInnis Photography ::: Blog

Waves, Waves, Waves

I am a surfer.

But…

I do not drive a rusty VW bus, I only say “brah” on occasion. You will not see me dominating any lineups with fins-out snaps. My rambling dialect is not heard in the water. I am not associated with any local crew. You will not find me camped out at G-Land for months on end. The beach is nowhere near my home. I have never been released from a barrel. My surfing is decent at best.

But…

I live to surf. I live for ice cream headaches at 7am. I live for tunnel vision whether I come out or not. I live for that one backhand top turn that sends buckets of spray out the back. I live for a solid frontside cutback off the foam ball. I live for numb pinky fingers. I live for risky drives in search of surf. I live for severe beatings by the ocean. I live for pre-session peanuts and post-session beers. I live in hopes of improving my surfing. I live to surf. I live for this…

More in the color portfolio.

Enjoy.

Color & Contractual Updates

It seems like more and more time goes by between updates. That needs to change. It also means that things have been slow on the contractual/job front. I think people are just holding onto their money for dear life right now. That also has to change and I’m sure that it will…in about 4 years.

Anyway, I did have a couple jobs. The first being a halloween photo shoot for a little tike named Stella. Her parents, Shannon and Cody, hired me to take pictures of her in a pumpkin patch outside of Hillsboro, OR. We had a great time and some of the pictures turned out great! Thanks to Shannon and Cody for hiring me and to Stella for being so stinkin’ cute!

My next job was for AeSoon Bensen. She is the proud owner of Margot Bags here in Portland, OR. The bags are high quality laptop bags for women. If you are a chick in need of a laptop bag, look no further. Anyway, she needed new shots for her website (which is also being updated). The shoots were super fun for me as I love to challenge myself. Fashion/Product photography is not something I usually shoot, but I find myself thoroughly enjoying it. Thanks to AeSoon for the job, Beth for modeling, and to the Pottery Barn for letting us shoot in their facility.

On a personal note, I took a 5 day surf trip up to the Olympic Peninsula. What a truly stunning part of the Pacific Northwest. Desolate, lush, and slow paced, just how I like it. Luckily we scored one day of perfect uncrowded surf. You can see a few of those pics in the color portfolio as well as a pretty cool panorama shot of Seattle that I took on the ferry from Bainbridge Island. All in all it was a great success. Sorry to my friends in Seattle that may see this and be like, “What the…? Why didn’t you tell us you were going to be up here?” Well, I was only in Seattle for an hour or so at 7am before catching the train home to Portland, ‘nuff said.

Also, there is a cool photo studio here in Portland called the Newspace Center for Photography. They are having a photo contest entitled Flora and Fauna. I submitted 6 pictures. If chosen, they will be on display at the beginning of the year. You can be sure I will keep you updated on that.

I’ll be in touch.

Aloha.

Mark

New Stuff!

Wow, a lot of new stuff.

First of all, we took a camping trip to the McKenzie River a few weekends ago. It was just wonderful. One afternoon we hiked up to the mouth of the McKenzie which actually starts underground and fills a huge pool with ice cold, crystal clear water. Truly an amazing sight. A few of the pictures in the color section are from there.

Secondly, Tom and Keryn from UNdo Modern Dwellings called me back to do some more photos of their house in Bend. Truly a beautiful house and location. Furthermore, they wanted me to take some “detailed” shots of the Portland house. All of these photos can be seen in the contractual section. Check ‘em.

Last, but certainly not least, I was lucky enough to be hired to shoot some very special cars during the Sunriver Exotic Car Show. These photos are also in the contractual section.

It has felt good to get some photography work after a long drought. Hopefully things will continue to pick up.

Also, can somebody tell me why Baristas act like their shit don’t stink? A blog on this to come.

Enjoy!

Washougal, Washington Outdoor MX Nationals

What an amazing event! I have shot plenty of fast moving cars on pavement tracks, but motorcycles on dirt are a subject all their own. Truly amazing athletes. It is completely different going to a MX race. You get to be mere feet from the competitors as they fly by and hit you with all kinds of dirt chunks. I actually kind of liked that part, it really made you feel like you were a part of the race when pieces of the track pelt your body. It was startling at first, but I got used to it. Also, the crowd at a place like Washougal is pure comedy. You’ve got yourself cut off jean shorts, tie-dyed event shirts from years past, back pocket-less denim on the women, toothless carny looking folk, and more mullet variations than you could possibly imagine. Truly, this is an event that is 100% unique and original. To see upwards of 20,000 spectators come out of the woodwork and onto a track in the middle of the forest is something else. Honestly, I can’t say enough good things about this event.

Photos are up in the “color” portfolio.

Enjoy!

Folly Shoot #2

I shot some more pictures for Sarah at Folly a couple days ago. Again, I had a wonderful time doing this shoot. It is fun working with girls. Well, so far it has been. Our friend Beth modeled and did the clothing justice, and vice versa. The outfits were cute, the model was cute, the pictures are cute. Cute, cute, cute, cute, cute! There I go again. One picture from each outfit is up in the “contractual” portfolio. Thanks to Sarah for allowing me to shoot the images for her site ( www.follypdx.com) and to Beth for modeling.

Enjoy!