Today we’d like to introduce you to Mark Moore.
Hi Mark, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Ever since I was a child, I was an artist. I loved to draw, paint, create and didn’t realize it at the time, but was even drawn to interior design. You’d often find me with my imagination and a pencil in my hand. Even in my early years, I was raised to make my bed, keep my room clean and take pride in my space. I would rearrange and decorate my space all the time. Art was my favorite classes all through school. As I grew older and got into high school, I took every art elective possible and by my junior and senior years did independent study in drawing, painting and airbrush. I always wanted to do something with art. As a young adult I found myself working in the real estate industry. I flourished at it. It became a part of me. I did real estate research and abstracting. The history fascinated me. Towards the end of my real estate career, I was prolific in all aspects of this field. Then 2008 happened. Our office held on as long as possible, but the recession stalled the real estate market and in 2009 my office closed. I was married at the time and luckily, had some wiggle room due to smart money management and a 2 income household. All my adult life had been spent in this field and the job market wasn’t great. I decided I wanted to be in control of my future and took a leap. I started a small lawn service to pass the time. I love being outdoors and everything home and garden. That business venture grew. I still own it today, However, what I really wanted to do was something with art. I’ve always been a shutter bug. I was normal for me to whip out a camera and capture friends, landscapes…anything I found interesting. My home was always full of photo frames displaying all the good times and fun adventures often including something of interest like landscapes. I’d print these out, swap out some frames and consistently had my own original art in my home. I proved to myself I could manage a business once, so I started another. I spent a few years getting my name out there, showing off work, capturing community events, booking sessions, took magazine assignments, really anything I could find. One day I was hired to photograph a home for a real estate listing. I loved it. As our economy started to improve, my phone started ringing more and more. Real estate agents were calling. As time continued, my book of business grew and I combined my two passions into a career. While I still photograph events, weddings, headshots, and families regularly, I photograph homes all over the St. Louis region almost daily. I love it and I am good at it. I think my previous real estate work gave me a unique perspective that allows me to work closely with agents because I understand the business from their point of view.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I’m a people person. I am definitely an extrovert. It hasn’t been difficult. I stayed committed. I keep my name out there. I smile a lot. I stay friendly and humble. I show up and I deliver what I promise. That’s all people want is someone friendly and committed. The rest will follow.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I addressed this in “my story”.
I specialize in large events and real estate. I enjoy both of those. I love weddings, family and portraits because I get to flex some creativity.
I’m proud of the community work I do. In a round about way I became a bit of a photo archivist. I catalog all of my photos, especially community (and more specifically the LGBTQIA+ community). Without trying to become a custodian of queer history through photography, it morphed into it. People recall seeing me at various events and need a photo, I can find it and provide it, if I was there.
I’m also pretty proud of myself that I started and managed to maintain 2 businesses during a recession, the ebbs and flows of economics, covid and the boom after the pandemic.
I’ve also had to opportunity to meet talent, high profile people and be a part of some really cool things.
Pricing:
- Pricing varies as no gig is the same.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.takemoorepics.com
- Instagram: takemoorepics
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/takemoorepics
