Mark Leahy
Currently, my main influences are J.C Rice, Man Ray, Don McMullin, Robert Frank, Dorothea Lange and Cindy Sherman. I enjoy working in the studio and with people. I think the camera is tool to engage with your subject, to help you better understand a person. I enjoy photography as it is a creative outlet for me.
Saoirse's Isolation Diary
My final project tells the story of Saoirse Keogh an Irish-American studying in Ireland during the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic. The project takes an intimate look at the life of this individual. It details her feelings of isolation during the quarantine, where she is far away from family and friends. The images show how existing physical and mental health issues can be exacerbated by this challenging time, having recently discovered that she has a hole in her retina, she struggles to manage anxiety and her college work.
5x4 portraits of Lyndon Quinn
The second project I’ve included is from my time working in the studio with the large format cameras. Working with these complex analogue cameras was humbling, but also provided an excellent learning experience. For this portrait project I decided to work with as large an aperture as I could, to capture a shallow depth of field on the 5 x 4 inch negatives. The model is my long-time friend, Lyndon Quinn.