I’M A MANN ON A MISSION
Snapper on how his banter puts stars at ease
Barack Obama, Al Pacino and Robin Williams – when it comes to snapping celebrities, Mark Mann is the main photographer in the frame.
In a career spanning more than 20 years, the 48-year- old Scot has established himself as one of the world’s top portrait photographers.
From Hollywood A- listers Bill Murray, Emma Stone and Michael Douglas to boxer Mike Tyson and US presidents Obama and Bi l l Cl inton, Mark has shot them all.
Not bad for a boy f rom Busby, near Glasgow, who started out taking pictures of sofas, beds and wa rdrobes for a furniture catalogue.
Mark, whose success across the pond rivals that of acclaimed Scots lensman Harry Benson, is renowned for his powerful close-up portraits which show celebrities in a raw and natural light.
The dad of one, who lives in New York, said: “I don’t set out to make people look great.
“I take intimate and honest portraits which capture the real character behind the celebrity. I like to capture the ‘off’ moment.
“I try to connect with people by having a bit of banter a nd ma k i ng t he experience fun.
“This enables me to get a different kind of portrait, a much more personal image.
“The celebrities seem to like this as I have been asked back to photograph some of them again and when the magazines are doing a portrait feature, the stars ask for me by name.”
He added: “Being Scottish def initely helps as my accent cat ches folk of f guard and they can’t pigeonhole me.
“I can say things Americans can’t say and get away with it. Celtic charm can take you a long way.”
Mark’s Glaswegian patter endeared him to Obama and he was one of just seven photographers granted the privilege of taking his portrait during the president’s time in office.
The former Mearns Castle High School pupil said: “I think shooting Obama in the White House is an experience that will never be topped.
“It was a life-changer. It was such an honour for me as an immigrant to be asked.
“We were all set up and waiting in a room with several Secret Service guys. We could hear the countdown to the president’s arrival from the Oval Office over their walkie talkies and then, there he was.
“He said, ‘ Where do you want me?’ I told him and then went into autopilot I felt like I was having an out- of-body experience. There I was telling the most
powerful man in the world what to do. After I had fired off 20 photos, I realised I hadn’t even introduced myself.
“I put the camera down, told the president who I was, where I was from and how honoured I was for the opportunity. He thanked me for saying that and for a moment we connected.
“The next 10 photos were the best of the lot. Then he was gone.”
Mark was commissioned to take the photo of Obama as part of a project to mark Esquire magazine’s 80th birthday in 2013.
He said: “Esquire wanted to capture 80 American men aged one to 80. I spent a year travelling around the world taking pictures of famous men. Barack was the 52-year-old portrait.
“I got to shoot Willie Nelson a minute before he went on stage, the incredibly funny Bill Murray gave me a golf lesson outside his trailer on a movie set and Bradley Cooper asked me to go for a beer with him after I snapped him in his LA home.
“I shot Rober t Duvall and Al Pacino 15 minutes apart and the beautiful, warm Robin Williams became Mrs Doubtfire and then Billy Connolly the minute he heard my Scottish accent.
“It was one of those projects that only comes round once in a lifetime.”
Mark got his big break in 1996 snapping rap stars he didn’t even know were famous.
He said: “After studying photography in Manchester, I found it difficult turning what I had learned into a career and ended up taking pictures for a furniture catalogue.
“I came to New York in 1996 after a break-up. I was only planning to stay two weeks but I pretty much never went home. I met David Curcurito, who offered me work on The Source magazine, which was known as the hip hop bible.
“I started shooting some of the world ’s biggest hip hop stars including DMX, Puff Daddy and Snoop Dogg.
“I had no idea who any of them were.”
Working with some of music’s biggest names was a baptism of fire.
Mark said: “I found myself in interesting situations like when DMX turned up with eight gun-toting heavies and I had to explain I didn’t want any guns in the shot. Craziness like this was great preparation.
“If I could cope on a shoot with DMX high on crack, I could cope with a Hollywood celeb throwing a hissy fit. The majority of stars I have shot have been fantastic but some are just too professional for me to get a raw and honest portrait.
“Gillian Anderson, Reese Witherspoon, Emma Stone and Margot Robbie were very open and easy to capture, whereas Jennifer Aniston, although a joy to work with, had the same smile in every shot.”
Mark, who has a three-year-old son Tennyson with wife Katie Schad, loves coming back to Scotland to see his mum Vivien, brother Gary and his nephews.
He said: “My mum and dad Bernard, who has sadly passed away, always encouraged me to be creative. My mum is my best critic.”
One of his favourite shoots was with The Good Wife star Alan Cumming.
He said: “We did photos at Gleneagles and Edinburgh Cast le. He is a phenomenal guy. The images of him with the dogs and playing croquet are some of my favourites.”
There aren’t too many famous faces that have eluded Mark. He said: “David Bowie always escaped me, which is a big regret, so I suppose Robert De Niro has moved to the top of my most-wanted list.
“I’ve shot Clinton and Obama but I’m in no rush to do Trump as it’s important for me to have creative control to get an honest portrait and he would not allow that.”