ABOUT
ABOUT
I don’t take photos. I capture images.
The difference is the focus: Your narrative drives the imagery, not the other way around.
I’m Mark Leffingwell, photojournalist turned artist.
A lot of energy. Bad dad jokes. Too much coffee. Three decades of experience.
I fall in love every day with everything I shoot. When you love something, you’ll always give it your best.
I worked at newspapers for nearly 30 years, covering everything from “Pet of the Week” to the Superbowl, for small newspapers to international wire services. But one thing remained constant through it all: I did it because I truly like people. Every day, I got to meet new people and learn about and from them.
My favorite part of photography is the stories.
You’ll notice this immediately at a shoot. I want to know you. I want to know what makes you tick, what you’re passionate about, your goals. This all goes into getting the best images. Oh, and lots of laughing. You gotta goof around until everyone’s relaxed and we feel like friends. (Fair warning: We probably will be.)
No matter who you are, you have something important to say. Something that makes you you. A photographer can capture that in a portrait, lifestyle photo, or a video. It’s in your face — the lines, the sparkle in your eyes, a subtle smirk. You can convey so much more with a look than you can with words. Your story is in the nuances that you can only see when you pause one moment in time. Photography stops time. (That’s my superpower.)
Today, I use my unique background as a photojournalist to inform my art — to be versatile and honest, to strive to capture the truth of the moment. But I also use it to rebel against. All those rigid rules? If they need to be broken to capture the best photo, I’m crushing them. I’m too curious, open, and playful to ever stop learning.