Spotlight on Canadian National Photographer Mark Hopper By Lin Parkin
Photographer
Mark Hopper is no stranger to accolades, including
those from Robert Bateman (an inspirational artist to Hopper) who told him, “Mark, you have a stunning array of photographs that lean towards the artistic side rather than being just a record shot.” Hopper’s artist CV is equally impressive: his photos have appeared in Canadian Geographic, National Geographic, Toronto Life Magazine, Toronto Sun, Toronto Star, Weather Network, Explore Canada Tourism, and many more publications. He was 1st Runner-up in Royal Ontario Museum’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year (2018), 1st Runner-up in Canadian Geographic’s Landscape Your Riding (2018) and City of Quinte West photo contest winner in March 2019.
“People say I’m lucky, but, no, I’m just always ready” Self-taught, Hopper has been honing his signature style over the past 13 years. With an almost ethereal quality, his photos elicit a mood captured by the aura of his subject. “There’s no secret because I don’t use a lot of software,” says Hopper. The art isn’t what happens after the photo is taken, it’s what’s happening in the scene. It’s the right camera angle, the right filter, and always being prepared to capture that perfect moment.
“People say I’m lucky, but, no, I’m just always ready,” he says. Sometimes great shots find Hopper spontaneously while at other times he sees how he wants a photograph to look days, sometimes weeks in advance of arriving at his destination. It’s a vision of sorts. One that he says feels a bit divine. Getting noticed on a national level has been an enormous honour for Hopper, but his proudest achievement so far came in 2017 when he was invited to do a solo exhibit at Belleville Public Library’s Parrott Gallery. The event attracted hundreds of art enthusiasts from across the province: “Coming to the point of doing my own show has been one of the greatest highlights. It was one thing to get to that level, but selling out the show was another.” Although he doesn’t regularly exhibit his work, those interested in purchasing his photos can do so while supporting a good cause. Each year, Hopper designs a calendar using 12 of his pictures, and Belleville Cemetery donates the cost of producing the calendars. Proceeds from the sale of each calendar go to the Quinte-area Christmas Sharing program. Last year they raised $1,900 for the cause. The calendars are typically released in October and are available at the main office for the Belleville Cemetery. @hoppermark on Twitter | @Hoptheshark on Facebook | @hoptheshark on Instagram
Umbrella, Summer 2019 - 02
