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The MOOD Podcast

Mark Power - 14 Years Photographing America, The Democracy of Photography & Why Stillness Matters More Than The Decisive Moment, E114

April 15 · 1 hr 32 min · 66.6 MB
0:00-1:32:28

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In this episode, Matt sits down with Magnum photographer Mark Power for a wide-ranging conversation about long-term documentary photography, creative process, and what it means to spend 14 years photographing America as a foreigner. Mark discusses the origins of his landmark five-volume series 'Good Morning, America', why he's drawn to photographing the ordinary and overlooked rather than the spectacular, and how a woman quietly crying at a Don McCullin exhibition changed the trajectory of his entire career. From nearly quitting photography to becoming one of the most respected members of Magnum Photos, Mark shares honest reflections on self-doubt, creative longevity, and the discipline of looking slowly in a fast world.

Other things we discussed:

  • Why photography is more democratic than painting and what that means for artists today
  • The moment Mark's father finally validated his career, just before his death
  • How the Postcards from America project at Magnum evolved into a decade-long obsession
  • Why Mark believes the most exciting subjects make the worst photographs
  • His thoughts on the word "storytelling" and why he thinks it's lost all meaning
  • The stillness and silence he deliberately pursues in every image
  • Walking into a room of his heroes at Chico Review and expecting nobody to know his name
  • Why he spends far more time looking at photographs than making them
  • Editing and sequencing five books as a work in progress without knowing the ending
  • What's next: photographing Brighton by bus pass and an ambitious new project in China

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