Mary Ellen Mark
has been working for over 30 years pursuing her passion for photography. While
some photographers lose their edge as years go by, in Mark’s case there has
been no slackening either in the imagery or in the pursuit of the subjects with
which she becomes obsessed. She is rightfully convinced that she has something
to say, to show in photography. Most people coming into contact with the power
of her work agree.
Several years ago,
I had the privilege of working with her on the book and show Mary Ellen
Mark: 25 Years, for the George Eastman House. My experience of her,
then, goes well beyond a recent interview. I will begin with what may seem to
be the middle or end point of the picture-taking process.
Mary Ellen Mark is
a great editor of her own photographs. This is emblematic of her entire method
of work.
She demands
clarity of issue, excellence of technique, and the ability of any image to
stand alone. To elaborate, while editing she abstracts herself from the circumstances
of taking the photograph. Mark is not a prisoner of nostalgic memory such as,
"this is the woman who fed me when I was hungry in Mexico,"
"this was a good/bad day for me," or "the man in the hat had
survived many tragedies," and so forth. The image itself, therefore, must
prove its own reason for existing that will be meaningful, in some way, for the
viewer.
Her concentration
while making a photograph is well-known. That same intensity is present at the
editing table.
Mark’s subject is
people. Many of whom, she has gotten to know in intimate detail. Her knowledge
guides the story but does not interfere with her demand for the strongest
photograph.
As she once
observed, "I think you reveal yourself by what you choose to photograph,
but I prefer photographs that tell more about the subject. There's
nothing much interesting about me; what’s interesting is the person I'm
photographing, and that’s what I try to show….”
And again, “What’s
interesting is letting the people tell you about themselves in the picture.”
Photography is an
interpretation - a personal description of the world. Understanding this,
great photographers find their own way of rendering a scene, a truth.
Mark works
intensely to find her subject and the right moment. Her passion for the
meaningful single image, whether part of a longer project or not, is revealed
quickly by putting photographs from different essays side by side. Her core of
concern and strength of vision creates a broader context. One sees that her
subjects are people, no matter where. Both the respect and the edginess
persist: the ultimate story is much more profound.
At one point in Mary Ellen Mark: 25 Years she speaks of her
need to photograph, and illustrates the one thing she always looks for by
telling the story of Suman. An acrobat in the Indian circus, Suman “walks
upside down 80 feet up in the air…by slipping her feet through successive hoops
and uses no net. I thought, she really is an adrenaline addict. I mean, she
does this three times a day, every day, and she could die. But she doesn’t
think she has to do it. My photography isn’t dangerous like that, but I guess I
just do it because I have to. It’s hard to say why.
I like to be in a
situation where I can define some sort of absolute feeling.” The reproductions
that appear here courtesy of Mary Ellen Mark will demonstrate the core
connections of her photographs.
Marianne Fulton
Fellow, American Academy in Berlin
Fellow, American Academy in Berlin
All images © Mary Ellen Mark
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