I started in photography when I was in High School as a way to better express myself. I scraped together a few hundred dollars and bought a basic single lens reflex camera with a manual focus 50 mm/f 1.8 lens. This camera became my pride & joy and my ever-present companion. Of all my classes in High School, my photography classes gave me the most joy and my instructor, while she never knew it, would have the most effect on my life. My hobby turned into a passion, and later in life a career in Forensic / crime scene investigation.
While I enjoyed the art of photography, a career in Commercial Art just didn’t feel right for me. I tried my hand at Art / Photography in college but opted out when I became bored. I pursued my photography passion personally through expanding my skills in color film and print development at home. I honed my skills in exposure, composition & lighting and used these skills when I took jobs as a wedding and portrait photographer. While an end to a means, these would not lead me down my career path. When I was employed in Law Enforcement, I had the opportunity to get into the field of Crime Scene Investigation and accepted a position as a Crime Scene Technician in addition to my other duties. This is when I decided that this was to be my career. Thirty-two years later when I retired, I left behind that part of my life and transitioned back to my original passion of landscape & wildlife photography. Over the years I discovered weather photography, especially storm / lightning photography. Since retiring I have recently added Astro Photography to my portfolio and have been working to improve my skills in this area.
At 62 years old I have spent many hours in the field enjoying nature and capturing some beautiful & unique images. Hopefully you can enjoy these images as much as I enjoyed seeing and capturing them!
Mark A. Suchomel, Sr.
Welcome to Mountain Man Photography