Capture and Release: PlanetShifter.com Interview with Photographer Mark Gamba - MarkGamba.com, Portland, OR

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Capture and Release: PlanetShifter.com Interview with Photographer Mark Gamba, of markgamba.com, Portland, OR

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We are delighted that words like "green", "eco-conscious", and "sustainable" have made it into the mainstream business lexicon. It made it easy for us to come out of the green closet. Some specific examples from their studios include the following:

• Car-free commuting & bicycle-powered errand running
  
• Hybrid company cars since 2001
  
• Award-winning recycling habits
  
• Dedicated precycling
  
• Bio-diesel heating & natural air flow cooling
  
• Recycled-content paper products & non-toxic cleaning supplies
  
• Renewable power through Portland General Electric
  
• Energy-efficient light bulbs and appliances
  
• On-demand hot water and low volume commodes
  
• On-site, organically grown vegetable garden

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How do you select and capture the essence of sacred in your work?

Nature, in and of itself is sacred. No matter your religion either God created it or the very life energy that it exudes IS god. I try capture the glory and richness of the natural world and joyful human interaction within it.

Does the equipment sometimes get in the way of the experience?!

Not for me, my equipment has become like an extension of myself. It is like having another sense. I perceive what I am focused on more vividly than I could without. When I hike or dive without a camera I feel a sense of loss.

Are you into activist art?

I’m not entirely sure what you mean by that. If you mean – “Do I try to change the world with my art?” Then the answer is yes. I believe art – great art- always changes the world. Not in any immediately recognizable way usually but artists are the forerunners. They are exploring the edges and the boundaries of human existence and recording their thoughts and feelings. Those thoughts and feelings in the form of their art – inspire and encourage humanity to evolve.

Unfortunately, not all art inspires humanity in a good direction. Most of the art of the middle ages was involved with deifying the wealthy and powerful and glorifying Christianity. Most of the woes of our civilization now can be laid at the feet of those two concepts.

What is your impression of Eugene? How does this place compare to Corvallis or Portland? What makes a town a city?

Unfortunately I haven’t had the opportunity to live in either Eugene or Corvallis so my impressions of either are purely superficial. In general, I find college towns to be good places. The energy created by so many young, striving people will change a place for the better. That said, I think Portland is the finest large city in America and I have visited or lived in most of them.

Are you familiar with Gaia? Do you have a green religion?

I am vaguely familiar with Gaia and if I do have a religion it is very green. I believe that nature is sacred and that it is the source of all good things. The more in harmony humans can live with nature – the happier and healthier we will be. The more we begin to understand the interrelatedness of all thing the further we will expand our consciousness. We are energy beings – physics has proven it – all of our limitations are self imposed both on a personal as well as a societal level.

What organizations do you belong to in the sustainability sector?

I couldn’t hope to remember all of the organizations that either I currently belong to or used to belong to before the economy became so tight. Basically all of the classic environmental organizations with a particular fondness for the extremely proactive – Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund, The Nature Conservancy and Sea Shepard are good examples as well as proactive political organizations that are on the green end of things like MoveOn.org and 350.org.

How has your understanding of the “bottom line evolved over the years?

Our strong local business ties allow us the freedom to make many of these considerations fit within any budget. ‘Earth-friendly’ doesn't have to mean "more expensive", so you can meet your bottom line and feel good about it too.

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Mark Gamba Bio –

After completing his Associate's Degree in Photography from Colorado Mountain College near his hometown of Glenwood Springs, Mark took the plunge in November of 1988 and moved to New York City. He began gaining national recognition with the cover shot for Skiing magazine's January 1989 issue, and in April of 1991 got his "big break" when Sports Illustrated gave him an eighteen-day assignment shooting whitewater rafting in the Grand Canyon.

Five years of toil in the Big Apple gave Mark the client list he needed to make it elsewhere, and in 1994, he moved his family and studio to the mountains of Central Oregon. A mecca for athletes and a region of beautiful locations, Bend was a nice change from big city living, but the schooling opportunities are limited, and Mark and his wife have three children to educate, so in January 2004,

Mark relocated to the Portland area. Boasting a cutting-edge creative community, vibrant urban locations, and international airport, Portland is ideal for meeting client needs. It will also allow for twelve years of Waldorf education for those three kids. Mark is also flexing his artistic muscles with the opening of Mark Gamba Gallery, featuring some of his favorite images as limited edition fine art prints.

Mark and his team are always up to a challenge, whether it's roping up with an arborist to photograph him topping a 150-foot Ponderosa, gaining access to an off-shore oil rig, or convincing NBA star Kobe Bryant to do one more jump shot. As your creative partners, we will get the shot you envisioned and often send you home with something even better.

Mark's personal dedication to making eye-catching photographs is not relegated to sports alone. His abilities are far-reaching and broad in scope, and his experience shooting 35mm, 2 1/4, panoramic, and all forms of digital allows for imagery that push the boundaries of possibility. Mark's landscapes, underwater work, and portraits all evoke emotion that stop the eye and capture the imagination.

Mark's editorial client list includes -

Outside, Runner's World, Self, Forbes, Entertainment Weekly, Money, Bicycling & Mountain Bike, People, Sunset (100th Anniversary Issue cover), Men's Journal, Newsweek, Esquire, ESPN, US News and World Report, Artful Living (American Express Custom Publishing)and National Geographic Adventure, for whom he has shot six covers and a number of feature articles.

Connections –

Mark Gamba
markgamba.com
Mark at markgamba dot com
503-353-9111