A N I N S I G H T I N T O D O C U M E N TA RY P H O T O G R A P H Y

MARY ELLEN MARK

BACKGROUND• Born 1940 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania• BFA degree in painting and art and history & masters in

photojournalism• 17 publications• New York

THE ICONIC PHOTOGRAPHER

Mary Ellen Mark shoots all her photography in film rather than digital

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsMVrZh6ewU

SOCIAL DOCUMENTARY

Jonny DeppThe Indian Circus

Mother Teresa

Homeless family in Los Angeles

TWINS (2003)

MARK’S INSPIRATIONS• Filmmaker Federico Fellini• Photographers: Irving Penn, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and Robert

Frank

Irving Penn – Fashion photography, portraits Robert Frank – American

photographyHenri Cartier-Bresson – Street photography and life reportage

WHAT DO YOU THINK?• Similar to one of

Robert Frank’s photographs

• Tells a story which is ready to be read

• Black and white which adds to the drama already in the image

• Exposing social concerns

• Unconventional

Mary Ellen Mark

REFERENCES• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Ellen_Mark• http://www.maryellenmark.com/• http://photography.about.com/od/famousphotographers/a/maryellenm

arkbiography.htm• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsMVrZh6ewU• http://

www.barnesandnoble.com/w/twins-mary-ellen-mark/1005807000• http://

www.mac-on-campus.com/LearningCenter/ArticlesandBookExcerpts/12428.aspx

• http://www.cmp.ucr.edu/collections/permanent/object_genres/photographers/women/mark.html