Mark Seymour: Stories are Everything

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Mark Seymour has been taking photographs for almost as long as he can remember. In fact, one of his earliest photographic memories involves a Box Brownie camera, his younger brother, and a rather important missing ingredient: film.

As a small child, Mark apparently carried that camera everywhere, happily clicking away and winding it on, despite the fact that there was nothing inside to record his pictures. Fortunately, his mother photographed him in the act. More than 60 years later, that grainy family snapshot is a wonderful reminder that Mark’s fascination with photography began long before he had any idea where it might take him. And it has taken him quite far.

In this episode of the Street Photography Magazine Podcast, Mark returns for another conversation with Bob Patterson, sharing stories from his travels, his evolving photography workshops, and some remarkable opportunities that have come from building relationships with the people he photographs.

One particularly interesting story involves his ongoing work documenting an Easter procession in Trapani, Sicily. Over the years, Mark has developed a relationship with the organizers, regularly giving them photographs of the event. In return, he’s been granted extraordinary access to photograph moments that most visitors never get to see.

His photographs have even been used to promote the procession, and the organizers arranged an outdoor exhibition of his work. Mark’s advice for photographers hoping to gain similar access is simple: Give back, give back, give back

His advice underscores the fact that most of the best documentary photography out there doesn’t happen by chance. It’s about more than just showing up with a camera. Trust takes time, and the relationships we build can be every bit as important as our technical abilities.

A Project Close to Home

Perhaps the most moving part of the conversation comes when Bob asks Mark about the photographic project he made during his father’s struggle with Alzheimer’s disease.

Mark began documenting his father before his official diagnosis, having recognized that something was changing. He asked his father’s permission to photograph the remainder of his life, and his father agreed. What followed became the most important photographic project Mark has ever undertaken, one that he feels he hasn’t come close to matching since.

Some of the images are difficult, capturing the painful realities of his father’s decline. Others are tender moments between his parents, including the visits Mark and his mother made to the care home. Even now, more than a decade later, Mark finds some of the photographs difficult to look at but he’s glad he made them.

The project eventually reached a much wider audience than he ever anticipated, appearing in media coverage and exhibitions, including a show at a prestigious London gallery. It also prompted strangers who had experienced similar losses to reach out and share their own stories. None of that was Mark’s motivation, though. “I did it for love,” he tells Bob.

Listen to the full conversation to hear more about Mark’s photography, his approach to documentary work, his upcoming projects, and the remarkable stories behind some of his most meaningful images.

More of Mark on the SPM Podcast

For Subscribers

Mark was also a featured photographer in the November 2022 issue of Street Photography Magazine.

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