Mary Ellen Mark
Birthday: 20 March 1940, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Mary Ellen Mark has achieved worldwide visibility through her numerous books, exhibitions and editorial magazine work. She has published photo-essays and portraits in such publications as the New York ...Show More
The obsessions we have are pretty much the same our whole lives. Mine are people, the human conditio Show more
The obsessions we have are pretty much the same our whole lives. Mine are people, the human condition, life. Hide
Reality is always extraordinary.
Reality is always extraordinary.
I'm kind of a purist that loves reality - and that's not the trend now. Now they want very commercia Show more
I'm kind of a purist that loves reality - and that's not the trend now. Now they want very commercial, very decorated illustrations. (Why she preferred shooting in BxW without digital enhancements.) Hide
I don't relax. I can't take vacations. I'm obsessive-compulsive, and I worry with every project that Show more
I don't relax. I can't take vacations. I'm obsessive-compulsive, and I worry with every project that I'm going to fail. When it starts to go well, and I sense that something beautiful and important and meaningful is being created, it's a fantastic feeling, and I find it very hard to stop. Hide
I'm not much for cats. I'm terrified of mice. I've worked a lot with elephants, and they are extreme Show more
I'm not much for cats. I'm terrified of mice. I've worked a lot with elephants, and they are extremely intelligent and sensitive, and thankfully, they seem to like me. You never want to get on the bad side of an elephant. And never trust a chimp. Hide
I realized all of the possibilities that could exist for me with my camera: all of the images that I Show more
I realized all of the possibilities that could exist for me with my camera: all of the images that I could capture, all of the lives I could enter, all of the people I could meet and how much I could learn from them. Hide
It's not when you press the shutter, but why you press the shutter.
It's not when you press the shutter, but why you press the shutter.
When you're working on a film, it's almost like photographing paintings at a museum. You're photogra Show more
When you're working on a film, it's almost like photographing paintings at a museum. You're photographing somebody else's world. I just try and interpret it and make it real, and make it what the actors are about, what the director is about, and what the film is about. Hide
Finding the right subject is the hardest part
Finding the right subject is the hardest part
You have to be a fast runner, and that's not part of my nature. (Why she never became a war photogra Show more
You have to be a fast runner, and that's not part of my nature. (Why she never became a war photographer.) Hide
I always think, 'What does this picture mean? What's the best place to put my camera? Do I have anyt Show more
I always think, 'What does this picture mean? What's the best place to put my camera? Do I have anything extra in the picture, things in the background that will distract? Am I in the basic position that will give the essential things for this picture but not too much?' Hide
I think photography is closest to writing, not painting. It's closest to writing because you are usi Show more
I think photography is closest to writing, not painting. It's closest to writing because you are using this machine to convey an idea. The image shouldn't need a caption; it should already convey an idea. Hide
I was thinking about how fleeting and precious life is. Life is also arbitrary. For example, the cho Show more
I was thinking about how fleeting and precious life is. Life is also arbitrary. For example, the choices that you make, the luck of being born into the right bed, to parents who support and help you and who love you. That doesn't always happen - and then, what happens when it doesn't? Hide
Mary Ellen Mark's FILMOGRAPHY
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as Actor (5)
