HomeBeauty & StyleStyle › Meet Esteemed Fashion Photographer Mark Oberlin
 
 
 

There's no need to tell you, LA-based Fashion Photographer Mark Oberlin has talent. His photographs speak for themselves. Oberlin's creative vision has landed him shoots for prized, national magazines like Vanity Fair and has allowed him to capture notable celebrites, like "Glee" star Heather Morris.

Now let's get personal with the man behind the camera...

What made you decide to become a photographer? 
I actually started out as a fine artist. I was painting and showing in galleries. I had taken photography in college and would periodically take photographs of family and friends. I had started taking photos of my sister, Laura, in my first photography class. We had all these basic photography assignments that I wasn’t interested in, so I’d get her all dressed up and we would do little fashion shoots for my assignments instead.  Over the years, whenever we’d get together for a family vacation we’d do a shoot. For a number of years that was the only photography I was doing, along with shooting some photos of friends. Two of my friends who I photographed submitted the photos to an international, oversized coffee table magazine on arts, culture and photography called Blue, which used the photos for the cover and did a spread of the photographs on the inside pages. After that I started submitting to more magazines and started to get more covers and editorial photo layouts. That’s when I decided to become a professional photographer.

What are your favorite subjects to shoot?
Fashion is my favorite thing to shoot. I like to create beautiful and dramatic images. I always try to have a story or feeling I’m trying to capture. It doesn’t have to be super literal, but I like to have a character in mind when I’m shooting.

Tell us about your most coveted experience as a photographer. Any famous subjects? 
The second time I had my photographs in a magazine was for the cover of a national magazine called Instinct. It was shot in LA at a big studio, with an art director, editor, assistants, stylist, hair and make up. I’d never done a shoot with all that production and knowing it was going to be a cover of a magazine that was sold on magazine stands across the country was a huge thrill.

It’s always a thrill to see a celebrity I’ve shot on TV, in a movie or performing. I recently shot Heather Morris who plays Brittany on "Glee" and the singer Akon.