Photographer Spotlight: Interview with Mark Duffywww.sleeklens.com
Welcome to another episode of Photographer Spotlight, this time I’d like to welcome Mark Duffy who is a very gifted photographer from Canada, who shows astonishing & amazing landscape pictures. In this exclusive interview, you’ll find out what it is that makes him so good in his field.
1) Tell us about yourself, where are you from? How, when and why did you get into photography? Mark: Started Photography when I Purchased a Konica Camera in 1974 on Gabriola Island BC Canada and became passionate about Landscapes. From there I moved to Edmonton, Yellowknife, Calgary and finally Moose Jaw Saskatchewan. On the Canadian Prairies, I became fascinated with the wide open spaces and the horizon to horizon sky. Skies were so much more dramatic on the Prairies because there are not a lot of trees or Mountains blocking the view.
2) Which gear do you mainly use / What is typically in your camera bag?
Mark: Normally my camera gear is 2 Cameras. A Canon 6D with a 400 DO lens and a 1.4 Extender. A Canon 1DS Mark 3 with a 17-40 lens or a 24-105. All L Series Lenses. A lightweight Manfrotto Tripod. A Cable Release. 10 Stop Neutral Density Filter. Battery Chargers. I also use a 100-400 Canon Zoom. This year I might start shooting Time Lapse Storm Imaging with a GO Pro Hero 5.
3) Do you have guiding principles that you follow when you’re making images (image composition, do you prefer to shoot in the morning/evening)?
Mark: I shoot mostly early and late in the day as I prefer the Depth and Saturation of the low light. When Storm Chasing I am always trying to position the shot with an anchor or foreground and lighting is key. I sometimes like to shoot with the sun to my back so I can get more dramatic lighting and contrast. The picture should be a nice shot even without the dramatic sky and that sky should add to an already decent shot. Just the sky is not enough but if that is all you can get then something is better than nothing when you are uploading to stock agencies.
4) How important is post-processing for you? Can you tell us what kind of postprocessing you typically do?
Mark: After a shoot, I edit the Jpegs and grab the RAW files of the selected images. Each file is adjusted in contrast mainly and minor tweaking and converted to tiff. I crop the imaging and add title, description, and keywords for uploading to agencies.
5) Do you have general advice and tips for other photographers?
Mark: Passion will lead the way. 99 out of 100 people on a storm chasing shoot will be bored. For me, I am always anticipating what is around the next corner or over the next hill. I also love Wildlife especially baby animals so you never know. Sometimes I am disappointed but never bored. Watching the fog roll in over the Golden Gate Bridge or the sunset on the Painted Hills in Oregon is something I will never forget especially since I was with my Brother who has since passed. Get up before sunrise and go to a Lake or somewhere beautiful in Nature and start shooting before the sun comes up and keep shooting until it is over the horizon. You need to scout out these places and be prepared because it will be dark. This kind of passion is great for kids to experience as it is often magical and kids these days need more options than screen time. I am hoping my Granddaughter will have this passion because it is awesome to share especially Sunrises and Wildlife.
6) What are your future photography goals?
Mark: I will retire from the Portrait Business in the next few years and Shoot mostly Landscapes. Gotta go storm is brewing.
Julian Rad is a self-taught award-winning wildlife photographer, who was born in Vienna, Austria in 1991. When he bought his first camera at the age of 20, he found an expression for the fascination he had about nature & wildlife. He already had many publications in national and internation magazines and newspapers (New York Post, Daily Mirror, Daily Express, The Times, GEO, Digital Photographer Magazine...). He has won several photo competitions such as the comedy wildlife photography awards in 2015.
Image by Mark Duffy: 
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