Mark McInnis Photography ::: Blog

Long Time, No See

Wow, 4 months since my last update? I’m ashamed.

A lot has been going on though, so that’s good.

First, back in April, Sarah Bibb (of the world renowned boutique, Folly) and I got together to update the photos for her website www.follypdx.com. We used Elizabeth Teater as a model and she was phenomenal. Very charming and really took the role and ran with it. It was awesome! As you can imagine, a few of those shots are in the fashion portfolio.

Speaking of fashion, after I did the shoot for Sarah at Folly, Elizabeth asked me to take photos of her modeling for another boutique here in Portland: ZaZen. This time we went into the studio and the photos turned out great. Again, those are in the fashion portfolio.

Last but not least the surf portfolio has been updated wish some really fun shots. I took a trip down south for two weeks and the pictures speak for themselves. The ocean cooperated and we had two weeks of solid surf and scorching sunshine. Check those shots out when you get a chance.

Hope all is well and, as usual, thanks for checking in.

I’ll be in touch.

Enjoy.

WOW!

Ok, lot’s of changes going on around here at ‘ol markmcinnis.com.

First of all I have made enormous changes in the “portfolios” area. If you don’t recall, it used to be color, b/w, contractual. That was a little vague and some of the portfolios became enormous. Therefore, I separated the pictures into their own distinct groups. You will see what I mean when you head that way. Furthermore, I canned a ton of photos throughout the site. There were a lot of similar shots that needn’t be on my website. You will notice drastic changes to a few portfolios, while others remain somewhat consistent. Check ‘em.

I am taking some photo classes through Newspace Center for Photography, here in Portland. One of the classes is all about lighting. You will notice a few new studio shots in the portraiture portfolio and more will be going up in the next few weeks. Working in the studio is a brand new challenge for me. The lighting, the backgrounds, the equipment, it is all fresh and exciting and alive. I just love it. However, to properly execute a studio shoot, you must be a master of your environment. Someday, I will master the studio. For now, I will keep learning.

I was in the studio for 4 hours on Monday. Michael Fox, the owner of Vault Management here in PDX, hired me to “test-shoot” one of his new girls. The model, Erica Webb, was great to work with and we got some killer shots. Those images will be up in the fashion and portraiture portfolios within the next week.

The most exciting project I have been working on lately is Donavan Harris’s Audi TTS! This car is just phenomenal and you can view it in the automotive section. Donavan has been a great person to work with and I think we got some stellar images of his vehicle. Automotive photography – along with surf photography – is hands down my favorite thing to shoot. Since I was just a tike I have had a love affair with beautiful, German, cars. There are all kinds of Audi, BMW, Porsche, forums online and I have been advertising myself as a automotive photographer here in the Pacific Northwest. Surprisingly, I have all kinds of jobs lined up including a gorgeous yellow Porsche 997 911s with aerokit on Sunday. This will be one exciting shoot! Right now I’m doing these automotive shoots for free to build my portfolio, but I hope to make some income from its someday. My fingers are crossed.

Well, that’s about it really. New portfolio format. Less images. Photo classes. Studio shoot. Audi TTS. Yep, that’s my life as of now. I hope to secure a career path soon, but it is proving to be most difficult. Especially in times like these. I’m stayin’ at it though.

I’ll be in touch.

Enjoy.

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!