We had the chance to sit down with Mark Shepard last month and discuss his photography. He told us about his trip around the world with his wife and the photography that came out of it. We discussed the importance of God in his work and how he views his artistry.
Mark: I want to be really clear. I’m not involved in the Denver art scene. So, it would be a total lie to pretend I was or am going down that route.
DM: That’s ok.
M: Ok, the second one was . . . when we talk about the Christian underpinnings of photography. It’s there in the sense that I find great satisfaction in capturing what is humanity and what is “out there.” It would be a lie to say that is the reason I do it. There are occasions where I look at it and say, ”That really is beautiful.” In that moment there is an underpinning of Christian faith there. But, to say that I pick up my camera, or when I’m doing it and processing it, that I’m thinking, “this is God’s hand at work”--maybe part of me wishes that I was more like that, but that’s just not me.
DM: That’s ok.
M: Photography for me, usually I take the picture because the moment itself is so awesome. Most of my photos that I like, not all of them, but most of them, are ones where I’m in the moment; I can see God’s hand is all over it. It’s very spiritual in that time. I take the image to try and capture it. It’s always surprising to me when somebody sees that and they make some connection to it. Because I’m like, “no, no, no, what is on that film is nothing compared to if you were there”. So, for me it’s like that, probably 80% of the time. Then there is 20% where I take it, and, for whatever reason, I say, “that was awesome.” For whatever reason, that is a telling photograph. I usually don’t know those until I see them later. Then I’m like “oh, I really like that.” I wish I could say I see it in the moment. But, it doesn’t really happen that way.
DM: Talk about the trip you and Jenn took traveling the world and the photography that ensued.
M: Individually Jenn and I had gotten to see God do some phenomenal things internationally. It was amazing and really tough all at the same time. Meanwhile we had some friends that had done some traveling, hedonistically, and we thought that looks really crazy and fun. I had been saving some money, I just didn’t know what for. Jenn came pre-packaged with a diamond, so that was a huge help (laughs). We had a little extra cash, and we were both working at the time. We started saving money into a “travel slush fund”, and then we took a year off of work. Then we got an around the world ticket.
DM: What is that?
M: It’s an around the world ticket. They’re all different, but the one we got has a maximum number of stops and miles , and it last for 365 days. It was a paper ticket; it was old school. So we just started hopping around. We tried to stay in places that were cheap. So we were in Australia for two weeks; China for about two months-- then Southeast Asia for a couple months, Nepal for a month and a half, and then India for six weeks. A little chunk of Africa.
DM: Where at?
M: Tanzania. We were supposed to stay in Kenya too, but they were going through a bunch of political insanity. So we stayed in Tanzania, which was actually phenomenal because we got to do the touristy stuff as well as other stuff. That cost us more in one week then we spent in China. So, that will nail your budget. Then we went to a couple small towns in Tanzania. Which is more our type of awesome back country. Beautiful people, wonderful times. It was really enjoyable and a very affordable kind of travel. Then we went to Egypt, and then Israel, and we had no idea that we were walking in during Orthodox Easter. So we walked into old Jerusalem and tried to get a hotel. They were like “Yeah, sorry, there is nothing available.” So we ended up staying in the Muslim quarters. Apparently none of the Christians wanted to stay in the Muslim quarters of the old city. They were wonderfully hospitable and lovely people. For Jenn and I, staying in Israel was a lot more interesting then we thought it would be. From a “walked where Jesus might have walked” perspective, “saw what Jesus might have seen.” It became a very powerful experience. From there we went to Turkey, well actually Egypt, then Turkey, and then flew out of Greece.
DM: Did you stock up on stuff or did you bank on being able to get film and stuff as you went?
M: I shot all digital. We essentially did like any good Americans would do, and we packed way too much stuff. And we knew it. Like, we had traveled enough that we knew we brought way too much stuff. We had all of our camping stuff. We were under the false assumption that camping would always be cheaper. They said if you camp that you would need a yak and a cook, and it’s actually, environmentally unfriendly. We ended up staying in a quaint little run down lodge and got to hang out with the other travelers. So, we gave away all of our camping stuff to our guide, and that ended up being a huge help.
DM: Going into this trip did you guys have the book idea planned because you took pictures and Jenn writes?
M: I think the thing was. . .well, in my mind it was a chance for us to be something different. Jenn the teacher, me the IT consultant. So, I always loved photography. I always wanted an opportunity to practice it day in and day out, to get better at it. But, I never had the opportunity to do it. In new cultures you want to take pictures of everything. Everything is new and unique, so you want to practice. Then when everything is digital you have the joy of instant feedback. So, you have the constant feedback where you are constantly getting better. Then having Jenn as another eye is such a blessing in its self.
So, that was my piece. So I put it to Jenn that we should invest some money in this stuff when we leave, and this will be really fun. With Jenn it was the same thing but with writing. So she has always wanted to write a novel. So, she became the official blogger. Which turned into short stories. Then when we came home, we tried to give her some time to synthesize those into something more cohesive. So that ended up being the book. Actually, since then she has submitted her first novel.
DM: I heard that she was working on that.
M: Yeah, I think this trip was a huge help for her confidence to step out. I think this gave her the confidence to write something she actually wanted to write, but as a novel.
DM: Is there any place that you shot that you fell in love with? Or did everything have it’s own charm?
M: It’s the latter. I think everybody ask that question. We’re not sure how to answer that. I think to keep people happy we would say, China, because culturally it was totally different. It was very eye opening. It was a wonderful time in our marriage. We really had to rely on each other to figure stuff out. The most majestic was Nepal. You’re in the middle of the Himalaya’s but you’re not really getting the culture as much. They had been around tourists for so much of their lives, so much of what you’re getting is a pretty flawed view of typical, true, life and culture. For that, you go in to the low lands of Nepal. Which is not where all the tourists want to go. There were majestic mountains which made for great photos of course. But, you’re not getting the same culture. India, was the combination of the two. You had really interesting things to see. Combined with a culture that, while completely different, a lot of people spoke English. So, you could at least interact on some level. We got to try and understand the people. We got to learn about what keeps people ticking.
DM: How would you sum up your photography?
M: My goal would be that people see the photos and don't think of the photographer but of the photos themselves and hopefully, ultimately, reflect a bit on Creation. Said another way, while I don't always experience it at the time I'm taking a photo (probably too concerned about lighting and a dozen other things I'm trying to get "right"), the end result of the photos I love are the ones that capture something of beauty and cause me to reflect on the world around me. Ultimately, as a Christian, I’m trying to facilitate worship.
