Mark Holden on Fstoppers

The Parish of St Mary the Virgin

In the past I have edited film, been a graphic designer, the Editor of a publishing house, a studio photographer, a Model's Photographer, I have taken photographs for celebrities, live concerts and weddings and I worked as a Photojournalist. Before all that happened, I served as a Marine from 1986 until 1992. I have been a bum and I have made a lot of money. I studied Archaeology, Anthropology, Psychology and Education. I have a BEd, BA and an Honours Degree in Divinity. You may be concerned that I am conceited, arrogant and self-absorbed, yet I am neither, just want you to know about me so that it may be easier to find common ground if you wish. I think that you by now assume that what I have mentioned seems an invention, yet it is true. I am in a bit of an artistic dry spell and floundering in the doldrums of inactivity now because of the pressures of my current vocation, however this I intend to change. I started photography in 1982 as a tertiary school subject on monochrome 35 mm film, learning the basic darkroom techniques, then in 1989 I built my own darkroom where I developed and printed both reverse film and monochrome. I found the chemistry interesting and challenging always exploring and pushing the boundaries. Only in 2011 did I move over to digital photography because the demand for digital images became dominant. I am familiar with 35mm SLR, 80 mm Roll film, 120 mm Roll film and 300 mm Glass film both medium and wide format digital. Yet today I am a Priest.