Mark de Paola

Mark de Paola was literally born into a photo studio on Cahuenga Blvd in Los Angeles and grew up splitting time between Los Angeles and New York. Mark's earliest recollections are of watching photo shoots and being completely immersed in the fashion books and periodicals of the time, Vogue and Harpers Bazaar. Mark's photographic foundation is the works of his father Alessio, Richard Avedon, Irving Penn, Bert Stern, Art Kane. Having learned on an 8x10 Deardorff, Mark's personal obsession began at age 12 when he was given his first professional camera, a Nikon F, and the obsession continues to this day. Mark would roam the streets of New York City photographing candid beauty and annoying the many camera shop owners. He would photograph the hippie girls at the Bethesda Fountain in Central Park on the weekends until, with a gun to his head, his Nikon F and all his lenses were stolen on one rainy Sunday. He still wants the film that was in the camera. This did not alter Mark's determination, who worked at a local drug store in exchange for film processing, saved his allowance, and bought a Nikon SP rangefinder. The Nikon SP and a Leica M3 rangefinder were to form what is Mark's unique vision. Mark's vision is best described as a combination of reportage, fashion, and beauty. It has always been Mark's objective to capture a natural beauty in a setting where a model's personality is allowed to flourish while a story is being told. Mark's very first assignment was a magazine cover image of actor Henry Fonda. And while working in New York, Los Angeles, and Milano, Mark would go on to shoot countless campaigns, editorials, and covers, including those for Vogue Mexico and Vogue Espana. Mark's story telling still style quickly translated to motion/ television commercials where Mark directed/shot several hundred spots including those for Anheuser-Busch (aired on Super Bowl), Giorgio Perfume (exhibited in Museum of Modern Art N.Y.), Donna Karan, Neutrogena, English Ideas Cosmetics, Sony Cybershot, Century 21 Real Estate, Ford Motorsports, Toyota, Ducati Motorcycles, Kawasaki Jet Skis, and many more; all with an eye for style and realism. De Paola continues to work with select clients around the world combining his artistic sensibilities. Most recently, his fine art photographic series, "60 Seconds," was exhibited at the Leica Gallery Los Angeles and is now touring to select cities including Tokyo, Chicago, and New York City. "60 Seconds" delves into a realm of abstract figures, fluidity, and poetic forms, challenging and seducing the limits of motion contained within still image. With each photograph taken handheld with a 60 second exposure, de Paola has discovered the connection between his physiological make up, the Leica M camera as a tool, and time, the unflinching competitor to the timeless image. His most recent commercial works are the Art of Backstage worldwide collaboration with Aveda during New York Fashion Weeks as well as lectures and workshops including "Stanley Kubrick: The Exhibition" at the Contemporary Jewish Museum San Francisco and "Photography Wide Open" at the Leica Store San Francisco. Producing and directing multiple upcoming feature films, including Proof Film, as well as producing his own fine art portfolios, de Paola melds the crossroads between both fine art and commercial aesthetic.