Freelancing, like any career path, comes with its highs and lows. It’s the personal nature of the work that can make those peaks and valleys more extreme than in any other industry. It’s when your first truly incredible opportunity comes and you know that you’ve created it for yourself that all of it—the good and the bad—pays off.

Welcome to episode five of the Freelance Founders podcast. We’re talking to Mark Clennon, a New York-based photographer who works toward capturing the Black experience.

Today, Mark is telling us all about how he got started as a freelance artist, what it was like to have his first-ever photography piece run in the Huffington Post, and how his personal projects keep him passionate.

Some Questions asked:

• Tell us a little bit about your career path, where did you start? (01:22)
• Has everything you’ve learned been self taught? (04:15)
• Was it intimidating for your first shoot to be with a major retail brand? (06:17)
• How did you navigate all of the huge requests and opportunities you received after your BLM protest photo went viral? (15:44)
• When you're on your own as a photographer, how do you measure success? (22:37)

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• What Mark’s shooting schedule looked like when he first transitioned to freelance (03:20)
• How Mark got the opportunity to shoot his first big campaign with Footlocker (04:49) 
• About the iconic image that Mark took at a Black Lives Matter protest in 2020 and how it came to be (09:05)
• How Mark deals with lack of inspiration and where he’s been finding it lately (19:15)
• Mark’s mantra as a freelance artist (24:34)

Connect with Mark:

• Website
• Instagram
• Twitter
• LinkedIn

Let’s Connect:

• Website
• Linkedin
• Instagram

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