Posted by Elizabeth Stacy | Posted in Foto Care Workshops, Photography Workshops & Lectures
Posted on July 22, 2010 at 11:11 am

Foto Care is pleased to announce an exciting evening with New York photographer Daymion Mardel, as he shares his fascinating journey of becoming a photographer with his fortunate start as an intern for photo legend Richard Avedon, and his  path to establishing himself as a succesful, in-demand photographer today.

Daymion Mardel Lecture

Foto Care Retail
Tuesday, July 27th
6:00PM – 8:00PM

RSVP to reserve a seat

Below we have shared an interview with Daymion first published by Bron Imaging (via the bronimagingblog).

When did I know I was going to be a photographer? I guess the better question would be, when did I know I wanted to be an artist?

You frequently hear the old cliché, “It’s in the blood,” but for me, I really think it is.  My Mum and siblings are all artists of various forms.  All of us make a living doing what we love best.

I was born in England in 1973.  When I was almost 9 years old, my Mum and Dad pulled my brother, sister, and I out of school.  I know that may sound crazy to anyone else, but it was a decision that helped shape the rest of my life. Along with two of my siblings, we set off in a Volkswagon bus to tour Western Europe for almost a year (my older brother, already in college, joined us throughout various legs of the trip when he could).   We had lessons on the bus, and Mum required that we keep a journal of our experiences, along with scrapbooking ticket stubs, postcards, and our own sketches.

That was my introduction to the classics.  Moving from campground to rest area to campground, we hopped from museum to gallery to monument, learning about European art and architecture, and meeting several interesting characters along the way (probably why I see the NY subway as more of a social gathering place to make friends, rather than a claustrophobic nightmare of strangers).  Although I’m not sure I fully appreciated seeing my first Botticelli at such a young age, I can see now how it defined even my earliest notions of beauty, and has remained with me ever since.

After a year in a bus, we relocated to Boston, Massachusetts, where I was enrolled in public school.  Though we were initially the odd kids who talked funny and called rain boots “Wellies” and ate wobbly tarts for breakfast, I quickly found my niche in a tightly-knit group of friends who have remained some of my dearest ever since.  I may have dual citizenship and was born across the pond, but you can take one look at my collection of hats and know that I call Beantown my home.

After graduating from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst with a degree in family studies, I enrolled at the Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara.

Following my third year at Brooks, I was accepted for a three-month internship in New York City with Richard Avedon.  Within the first week of the internship, Avedon asked if I would take a full-time position in his studio.  Without finishing at Brooks, I moved to New York with literally nothing to my name.  My suitcases were lost in the flight, and so my brother had to ship hand-me-downs to the cramped east village apartment I shared with eight other roommates, who’d been willing to squeeze me in to cut down the rent.

Within a few years, I became both first assistant and studio manager for Richard Avedon, an experience that could fill volumes and volumes of my own memoir.  Needless to say, it was an apprenticeship that impacted me in profound measures I cannot even yet fully assess.  Having lost my own father several years back, it was very much like losing a second father.  More than just an American icon to me, he was my mentor, and a very dear friend.  I was in San Antonio assisting him on the Democracy project for the New Yorker on October 1, 2004. Words still fail to express what a loss to the world was taken that day.

Though I was eager to help establish the Avedon Foundation in any way that I could to help maintain his legacy, I knew that it was time for me take the wealth of knowledge and inspiration with which I have been so graciously blessed, and begin to find my own voice in the world of photography.  After a brief freelance assisting job with the great acclaimed photographer, Henry Leutwyler, I transitioned into a full time freelance photographer.  I credit Leutwyler for a lot of things, but especially giving me the confidence to leave the assisting world and inspiring me to own my own broncolor lighting equipment.

The past five years as a photographer have been thrilling, sometimes terrifying, but continually affirming that I absolutely love doing what I do.  I may not yet own my own studio, and with freelancing there are few contracts to secure my income is guaranteed tomorrow.  But with editorial credits like American Vogue, and Advertising clients that include J.Crew, Coach, and Ann Taylor, etc. I certainly can’t complain.  In between my hectic schedule, I am continuing to pursue my own self assigned personal projects. I’ve been blessed to make a living doing what I love more than anything, and to do it with the most incredible lighting in the world; broncolor.

Tags: bron imaging, Damion Mardel, ny photographer, professional photography