How I Work: Mark Clennon
Florida-born Mark Clennon began taking photography more seriously in 2016, and moving to New York City is considered one of the catalysts for starting his career. Although he never officially studied photography, his passion for the medium was enriched by watching several YouTube tutorials and targeting budding photographers on Instagram. Now working editorial, commercial, and documentary, Clennon says his goal is to "capture the black experience in its entirety," offering an image that goes beyond trauma and instead explores the joys, fears, and successes of his community.
His customer list is impressive: The New Yorker, Time Magazine and Vogue sit comfortably next to dozens of other publications as well as a number of big brands like Nike and Spotify. In the summer of 2020, Clennon's work went viral when his stunning images of the Black Lives Matter protests were widely acclaimed across New York. This wasn't the first time he took photos of peaceful marches and captured them on his iPhone for the first time in 2016. After improving his skills since then, Clennon was able to capture the demonstrations from both the perspective of a photographer and a protester. Here, seven months later, he reflects on this time, the problems in the photo industry and how he is trying to make the most of his commercial opportunities.
All images: Mark Clennon
When getting into photography I first got into photography through the iPhone. I had just moved to New York and was so excited about living there that I kept pulling out my phone to snap photos of buildings and people watching. So I started to really develop my eye for the iPhone and the use of Instagram. People said to me, "Oh, you're really good at it. Maybe you should try to chase it." I didn't mean back then, I was scared of looking like a beginner. So I didn't pick it up for a couple of years I got a camera and tested it for two days, I gave up and put it on my desk where it was for a year, then, the following year in 2016, I picked it up again and it stuck to me.
When deciding to go full time I just wanted to get out of my job. I've worked in ad sales in the tech field and found it boring not being met. So my resolution for 2017 was to quit my job. I thought I was going to quit my job in March, but I didn't quit my job until October just because I had to get things to make sure I was prepared. I made up my mind to leave when there was a layoff round – I wasn't fired so I figured if I don't get fired now, I just have to give up on myself and try fair. If it hadn't worked out, I would have just got a new job. But luckily so far, so good.