Mark Burns: the black and white magic of a Houston-based photographer

Since time immemorial, humankind has sought to freeze the moment and enjoy watching pleasant moments. In this pursuit, we have come a long way from the camera obscura to today’s sharpest molecular images. In addition, photography at the present stage has become not just a fixation of the surrounding reality but has grown to the scale of an artistic level. Sometimes you can say more with the help of photography than with words. Houston has its own artist-photographer, Mark Burns. Read more on houstonski.

Love at First Shot

Mark Burns’ love for photography was born at first sight. When Mark was 10 years old, he received a simple camera for Christmas. According to Burns, he hasn’t parted with it since. Immediately, he loved taking pictures of landscapes. Although his peers and family protested as film was a real luxury in the 60s, so everyone wanted to capture themselves. 

That’s why young Mark liked to get up in the morning and take photos when everyone else was sleeping. But there are not many places in Houston where you can take interesting photos of landscapes. His love for this particular genre was finally formed when Mark and his parents traveled to West Texas. Then there were trips to New Mexico and Colorado. It was then that the young photographer began to understand the grandeur and beauty of landscapes.

He started working professionally as a photographer in 1978. At first, he was a photojournalist for Houston sports newspapers. At the same time, he worked part-time at various family events. But such banal photos could not satisfy the artistic needs of an experienced photographer. That’s why Mark Burns set sail as a freelance artist, completely switching to commercial activities. His works have been published in numerous publications around the world. Among the most famous are Time Magazine, The Sporting News, The Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast and Wine & Spirits Magazine, as well as many other regional magazines, corporate publications and websites.

Master of black and white photography

Whether it’s just a habit or a real love of black and white photography that influenced M. Burns, he creates his masterpieces in this format. Indeed, he does not shy away from color photos, but most of his works, especially for exhibitions, are made in this way. Even when using modern digital technologies, the artist prefers to make them in black and white. It has its own charm and unique beauty. 

M. Burns said that regardless of whether it is a landscape, portrait, nude or still life… today, as a visual artist, he is most inspired by the image of black and white fine art and archival prints. This is his style, his handwriting and his vision, according to the man.

An ambitious project

Such a great love for landscape photography had to result in some kind of grandiose project. In 2010, to celebrate the centennial of the National Park Service, M. Burns decided to take a series of pictures in each of the 59 national parks in the US. Having agreed on all the details and found sponsors, Mark set off on his journey. The professional himself did not suspect that his voyage would last for 5 years. The master of photography drove his Toyota FJ Cruiser to all the planned places, except for Hawaii, Alaska and American Samoa. He traveled about 160,000 miles in total. 

During his odyssey, Mark traveled alone. In order not to miss a good shot, he got up at 3 o’clock almost every morning. He repeatedly faced real dangers. The author of the collection recalls several cases of encounters with wild animals. He especially remembered a meeting with a moose that came out to Burns and began to snarl angrily, not at all happy about the intrusion into its territory. Mark was forced to slowly retreat so as not to annoy the park owner, and did not take a photo. The photographer had to return to several parks several times to “catch” the right moment, chasing the weather and trying to be there in different seasons. But the result was worth all the hardships and effort. 

In October 2015, the ambitious National Parks Photography Project was completed. This masterpiece became an exhibit that was displayed in 6 museums in the US. It is currently on display at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. The exhibition of black-and-white photographs was highly appreciated and noted by experts. More than 300,000 Americans have viewed photos from the collection.  

Looking at these vast expanses frozen in time on paper, the observer will not find a single person, as the master decided not to include the human factor in his works. Before that, Burns tried not to even put human-made creations in his photographs, except for the lighthouse in Alaska and the Proenneke Cabin in Lake Clark National Park. He did so as an exception, as they were important elements that conveyed the character of the park.

Other hobbies of Burns

As is common, a true specialist is a master in many fields. So M. Burns has many other hobbies. In particular, he restores old cameras. The man is also interested in engraving, which he has been doing for many years. In addition, Burns is a cinematographer, director and producer and is actively working on three additional documentaries with Lucky Number Eight Productions.