• About Mark

    Mark is a professional landscape photographer based in the North East of England.

    About Mark Banks, professional landscape photographerIn 2000, Mark purchased a Digital SLR camera at a time when digital photography was in its infancy. Although he spent many hours learning the fundamentals and shooting different subjects it became clear that he got the most satisfaction from making images of landscapes. A few years later he had one of many photographic epiphanies when he visited the gallery of landscape photographer, Joe Cornish in Northallerton - "I was mesmerised by the flawless quality of Joe's prints".

    Through a chance meeting with Joe, Mark attended one of his landscape photography workshops where he met Steve Lewis - a landscape photographer known for his stunning photography of Snowdonia in Wales. Steve introduced Mark to the Large Format View Camera which uses sheet film 5" x 4" in size -  "Due to this large size, the detail that these cameras can record is truly breathtaking." Fascinated by the unusual concept of using a View Camera  (a wooden camera with bellows that displays the image upside down and contra-rotated), Mark decided to purchase a 2nd hand Ebony Camera from Steve and set out on a journey of discovery.

    It is through using a View Camera that Mark truly learned to understand the basic and fundamental concept of photography including optics, light and the characteristics of film. Due to the high cost associated with purchasing and developing sheet film it also taught Mark to slow down, become more methodical and consider each image on its own merits and whether it really was worth taking - a discipline Mark still adopts today. Although Mark occasionally still uses his View Camera, due to the recent leaps in quality he has returned to using digital camera equipment for the majority of his work.

    In 2006, Joe Cornish invited Mark to his home to help set up his computer equipment and reciprocated by helping Mark understand the finer points of using a View Camera. It was through these regular visits that Mark and Joe decided to set up a teaching and editing suite at Joe's gallery in Northallerton. To this day Mark and Joe co-lead many one-day and residential landscape photography workshops throughout the UK.

    Mark also runs his own photography workshops, teaching practical landscape photography and post-production on a one-to-one basis as well as residential group workshops based in the most beautiful places around the British Isles.

    "Never get so busy making a living,
    that you forget to make a life."

  • Camera Equipment

    “Over the years my kit bag has become heavier and heavier as my interest in the subject has grown. One thing I’ve learned over those years is that it pays to buy quality. Using cheap products and materials can make your images suffer. Of course, a great kit bag doesn’t make you a great photographer but if you use the right equipment for the right job it makes capturing the right image a great deal easier in my opinion.”

    Digital Kit Comprises:

    Sony Alpha A7r Body
    Carl Zeiss Distagon 50mm f1.4 T* Lens
    Carl Zeiss Distagon ZF.2 25mm Lens
    Sony 70-200mm f/4 G OSS Lens
    Kippon Tilt/Shift Nikon > Sony Lens Adaptor
    Metabones Nikon > Sony Lens Adaptor

    Olympus OMD-EM5 Body
    Metabones Nikon > Olympus Lens Adaptor

    Large Format Kit Comprises:

    Ebony Large Format View Camera

    Ebony SW45 Large Format View Camera made from Mahogany (Lighter for long treks!)
    90mm Rodenstock Grandagon Wide Angle Lens
    150mm Rodenstock Sironar ‘N’ Lens
    210mm Schneider Kreuznach APO-Symmar Lens
    300mm Nikon Nikkor M Lens
    Horseman 6x7 120 Film Back
    Guohua 6x12 120 Panoramic Film Back
    Linhof Viewfinder
    Sekonic L558 Spot Light-Meter

    Film:
    FujiFilm Provia 100
    FujiFilm Velvia 50
    FujiFilm 120 Velvia 50

    Lee Filter System Comprising:
    0.3, 0.6, 0.9 & 1.2 ND Hard Grad Filter System
    0.3, 0.6 & 0.9 ND Soft Grad Filter System
    Lee Big & Little Stoppers
    0.9 Neutral Density Filter
    81b Warm Up Filter
    Lee 105mm Circular Polariser

    Tripod Comprises:
    Gitzo GT3541XLS Systematic Carbon Fibre Legs
    Manfrotto 410 Geared Head

    F-Stop Satori Camera Bag.

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