CSUN Success Story: One Class Impressed Photographer Mark Edward Harris’ World Profession

Photography assignments have taken Mark Edward Harris to greater than 100 nations on all seven continents. His work has appeared in Vanity Fair, LIFE, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Time, National Geographic Traveler and different main publications. His books have explored folks, locations and cultures world wide, together with “The Way of the Japanese Bath,” a mission that has gone by 4 editions, in addition to “North Korea,” “Inside Iran” and “The People of the Forest.” But earlier than his books, quite a few awards and accolades, and assignments to among the most inaccessible locations on the planet, Harris ’81 (History) shared his path got here into focus in a CSUN darkroom.

“I remember the exact moment that I truly fell in love with the magic of photography,” Harris stated. While learning historical past at CSUN, he occurred to enroll in a darkroom images extension class. He had grown up fascinated with images, impressed partially by household highway journeys and his father’s personal images, however he by no means had realized to develop pictures himself. That modified underneath the crimson mild of the darkroom, as he watched a picture slowly seem within the developer.

“It absolutely blew me away,” Harris recalled. “I was fascinated by it and found I could lose myself for hours at a time in the darkroom. While I kept my major in history at CSUN, I peppered my schedule with photo classes. For the last 20 years, I have been completely digital — but the magic of photography that I discovered in the darkroom has never left me.”

That early spark in capturing pictures didn’t pull Harris away from historical past. It gave him one other method to discover it. As he continued learning historical past at CSUN and later pursued graduate work in historical past and images at Cal State L.A., Harris started constructing a profession that makes use of pictures to look at folks, locations, cultures and historic moments with deeper context.

“My long-term photo essays as well as my shorter features are almost always infused with history or have a major cultural component, or a combination of the two,” Harris stated. That perspective may be seen in his books on North Korea, Iran and the Japanese sizzling spring custom, in addition to his tales on wartime Ukraine. For Harris, understanding the previous helps form the way in which he paperwork the current. “Having a deep understanding of history, I would like to think, gives my stories more depth,” he stated.

CSUN additionally gave Harris sensible instruments that continued to form his work lengthy after commencement. The lessons he took, the analysis habits he developed and the campus assets he used all laid the muse for a profession constructed on writing, images and deep visible storytelling.

“Every class I took, in some form, has given me more knowledge that I have incorporated in my life and work,” he stated, noting that computer systems had been simply beginning to emerge on the time, and CSUN was the place he first touched a pc keyboard. That early publicity connects on to his work right now, since computer systems are “how I write my stories and process all my photos these days,” he stated.

His historical past lessons, in the meantime, helped train Harris the best way to analysis, a ability that continues to be important to his long-form picture essays and documentary work. “I have fond memories of all the time I spent at CSUN’s magnificent library,” Harris stated.

Looking again, Harris sees CSUN because the place the place two lasting pursuits got here collectively.

“My time at CSUN laid the groundwork for what I have been doing for the [past] four decades,” he stated. “It’s where I learned photography, and where I developed and refined my interest in history.” Building a profession as a contract photographer was not at all times simple, he stated, however the journey has been significant. “My path has not always been smooth — surviving and prospering in the freelance world seldom is,” Harris stated. “But it’s definitely been worth the journey.”

For college students nonetheless determining how their pursuits may develop into a profession, Harris’ path gives a reminder {that a} future doesn’t at all times arrive absolutely fashioned. Sometimes it begins with one class, one new ability or one expertise that opens a door.

His recommendation to present and future Matadors is to remain curious and preserve exploring. “Take a variety of classes and don’t overly stress about your future,” Harris stated. “It took a number of years for my career path to clearly come into focus. The key is to just keep moving forward. Take classes, go to museums, travel. Experience as much as you can while you can.”

Asked what picture he would present his youthful self strolling into that CSUN darkroom for the primary time, Harris selected the {photograph} beneath, that includes a North Korean visitors officer in Pyongyang in 2008.

The {photograph} graces the quilt of his ebook, “North Korea,” which gained Book of the Year on the International Photography Awards. For Harris, the picture represents the gap between that first afternoon within the CSUN darkroom and the profession that adopted. It would present his youthful self how that early spark ultimately helped him attain “some of the most inaccessible places on the planet and come out with strong images,” he stated.

See extra of Harris’ work on his website and Instagram account.

Harris’ CSUN expertise helped him flip his pursuits in historical past and images right into a profession in storytelling, journey and discovery. Apply to CSUN and begin building your own Success Story.