Meet Mark Visser: Landscape and Fine Art Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mark Visser and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mark, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Years ago I was working as a groundskeeper and two of my coworkers were starting their own breweries, each of them were starting a separate brewery. I enjoyed hearing them talk about the process and getting to design their own company and pour themselves into it. Meanwhile, my supervisor was a Dwight to my boss who was a Michael Scott. He would follow me around from a distance and monitor me and report back to my boss if I took too long of a break or talked to anyone. I hated that feeling, like being back back in grade school and having hall monitors; as an adult that’s a very stifling feeling and I wanted something different. I wanted to create something, I wanted to build out something where the atmosphere encouraged creativity, fun, and innovation. I explored a few different options, I got into advertising for a bit, but my camera I’d received as a graduation gift beckoned me to get outside more. I was in LA at the time and I would drive up and down the coast shooting the surf and ocean. I started to get great feedback from my friends and family, that encouraged me to shoot more and more. Eventually I had a fairly large portfolio. I was taking landscape and wilderness pictures mostly. I had always loved hiking and exploring and the ability to share that with others was so meaningful to me. When I moved back to Colorado my friend Peter Wanberg was just starting Jubilee Roasting Co, he offered me a studio space and I took it. From there I got to bond with and watch several other artists and entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses. The environment really helped me grasp what it took to believe in yourself and grow as a person and a business.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Photography is a very wide ranging medium, but I’ve always been drawn to expansive and wide landscapes. Growing up in Colorado I was treated to so many hundreds of massive sunsets and mountain views that I can’t help but get lost in it. I try to capture that feeling in my photographs, the feeling of being somewhere and experiencing it how it actually is. I think the world is beautiful as it is and so I work hard to capture that real beauty. I lean away from extensive color manipulation and photoshop, there’s a place for that for sure. But having worked in advertising years ago I can’t help but feel like there’s a sacredness to raw reality, that if I change how it actually looks I’m giving up on engaging with the world in a real and more personal way. I think that mindset has encouraged me to explore deeper and work harder to find the fantastical in the real. Lately I’ve been creating photographs in the middle of the night after a snowfall, there’s an incredible thing that happens with fresh snow and a low hanging cloud layer. The light from the city bounces back and forth and lights up the environment almost like daylight, it feels like you’re walking through a sci-fi film but it’s real, it’s so incredibly beautiful and it’s something I hope I get to share with people in the near future. I’m very excited about it.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We would definitely have to check out some food and coffee options. I’d probably walk them through downtown and hit up Little Owl Coffee and walk my favorite routes along the Platte River. We’d grab lunch at Ohana Island Kitchen for some Poke Bowls. If it was summer we’d head up river and tube the Platte from Chatfield down to Breckenridge Brewery where we’d grab dinner and a drink. We’d finish the night and catch a flick at The Alamo in Littleton.
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Peter Wanberg and Jubilee Roasting Co. Right as I was starting my business my good friend Peter Wanberg was starting a coffee roasting company, he offered me a studio space to rent and work out of in the back. Ultimately it was just the right place and space to be. I got to be surrounded by artists and entrepreneurs who were building out their own companies. It was a very encouraging environment and allowed me to explore different options as I was trying to figure what exactly my company would be.

Website: www.markvisserphotography.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mark.visser/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/markvisserphotography