Mark Dempster has continued to wow us with his incredible urban and industrial styled photography. From abandoned warehouses to gorgeous lit cityscapes, Mark’s work presents stunning vibrant colours and exceptional sharpness. This year, Mark took home the Grand Prize at our 2017 Photo Contest Exhibit for his photo City Lights.
We can’t get enough of Mark’s incredible work here at GTA Photography. We took some time to get to know him a little more and what sparked his interest in photography.
When I first moved to the city of Toronto. I fell in love with the streets, the energy, the colours from the graffiti, the people and found myself inspired and wanting to capture it in photos.I started taking pictures with my cell phone ( which was nothing special at the time, a flip phone) Then 2 years ago, my wife decided to cash in her Aeroplan points to buy me a DSLR for Christmas. I had no idea how to use one, so I started watching videos on Youtube and in books, but from that point on I was hooked!
I would say I am still trying to find my style, it’s all still very new. But right now I am really in to the streets, very moody, gritty, real people, candid shots – just trying to capture moments and real life. I am still trying to learn new styles of photography while I find my own style.
The first time I went to Detroit, last February. I was going there for a photo tour. I left Toronto at 2 in the morning on a winter night, driving by myself for 4 hours to get there with no idea what to expect. I was there for 6-8 hours taking pictures, visiting abandoned churches, schools, libraries, and auto factories. I got to see the streets of Detroit that looked apocalyptic, so different from Toronto. I have been hooked on the abandoned buildings ever since and have been back to Detroit 5 times since last February.
My favourite is my new tripod I got from the GTA Photography contest.
I would love to get a full frame camera (future purchase) but likely the next piece I will buy is an ND Filter to do some daytime long exposure shots.
I still feel like an amateur photographer myself, but taking courses from the GTA Photography helps make the learning curve a little faster, so I would definitely recommend them take some courses. The biggest thing is you just have to get out there and take the pictures and learn as you go. Don’t be afraid to be a beginner and get outside your comfort zone.
I would say the 4 day intensive course just made everything I learned on my own come together to make more sense and give me more confidence in knowing what to do! I also took an epoxy resin workshops which was great, my plan for 2018 is to start selling some pieces with epoxy resin.
