Cheap stock photos have their place, but are ultimately limited by their generic nature. Commissioned professional photographs, by comparison, enhance your company’s image and greatly improve your marketing communication. Custom photographs build emotional stories, drawing your audience close—where they hear and remember.

Alaska is home to numerous professional photographers that deliver imagery that is real, vivid and gritty. They capture photographs that not only resonate with Alaskans but also appeal to a global audience that is intrigued with our state. One such elite local photographer is Mark Meyer.

Mark grew up in such disparate locations as Singapore, Dubai and Iran. But in 2008 he made Eagle River his home. Mark has conducted shoots in countless locations around the U.S. and throughout Alaska. Marks’s clients include the New York Times, The National Geographic Society, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, The National Park Service, DuPont and Bank One. Not long ago I had the privilege to speak with Mark about his work.

In the lead up to the last Olympics the New York Times commissioned you to deliver some photos of cross-country skiing legend Kikkan Randall. Can you tell us about the shoot?

Like a lot of news photos, it was arranged very quickly and was improvisational. The photo editor at the NY Times called and said they wanted to get some shots before she was scheduled to leave town, which only gave us two days. We met up at Glenn Alps before one of Kikkan’s practice sessions. I tried to keep it pretty simple and fast with just a single light on a stand and her husband working a reflector. We got together later that day to shoot in the more controlled environment of her grandparent’s house. The paper ran the Glen Alps shots. She was very easy to work with—it was a fun day.

Mark, do you typically follow client guidance explicitly or try to provide shots that a client might not have envisioned?

I certainly follow the client’s lead but they often seek my creative input. I research like crazy. I talk to as many people as possible. I’ll visit with the graphic designer to see how the images will be used. I consider format issues…bleed, crop, perspective, size. Some of my work will be highly produced…other times I shoot by the seat of my pants.

As a professional photographer do you consider heavy Photoshopping to be a cheat?

Creative rules are meant to be broken but dishonesty is still dishonesty. People are naïve at how they look at images. Some can take advantage of expectations of viewer. People will ask themselves…is this a painting or a photograph…people want to know because they interpret it differently. People have a connection to the real. Photoshopping can be dishonest in some contexts. In journalism it can definitely be manipulative or deceitful. You can take advantage of people’s expectations. The context is important…knowing people’s expectations is important.

Your blog is about photography but it also integrates philosophy, literature and science. You are a true renaissance man! Do you attribute this to your home life or academic background?

Growing up my family was not academically oriented. I studied piano composition. I disliked aspects of school. Education is too much of a broad spectrum. It didn’t work for me. In one class you are studying Newton and gravity and in another class you are looking at the Civil War. None of it is connected. I prefer learning that parallels how a paper towel works. It absorbs and spreads. I like knowledge that is connected and inter-related.

To view more of Mark’s photography and to learn how to commission Mark for a photographic marketing assignment please visit his website photo-mark.com.

Written by:  Craig Wall. Craig is the Founder and Editor of Anchorage Marketing and the Chief Cave Man at Ice Cave Technology. Ice Cave is a preferred Alaska vendor for TV, Web and Mobile communication initiatives: • Broadcast motion graphics • Web Site Design (XHTML Standards-Based and Flash) • Technical Simulations and Animations • 2D and 3D Animation • Interactive Design • Computer Based Training • Social Media Marking Development and Consulting • Copywriting • Campaign Marketing • Event Media Design • PowerPoint and Keynote Presentation Design • Web Video and Flash Presentations • Search Engine Site Optimization