Mark d. Enyart
I’ve always considered myself a country boy since I was born and raised in the flatlands of west central Ohio. I still consider myself a country boy, just an older country boy nowadays.
I’ve been passionate about many things throughout my life and photography has been the leading passion which continues to this day. Other passions of mine depicted within this website include motorcycles, travel, trains and almost anything related to the great outdoors.
I had a theory about good photography for many years, but was unable to put it into practice until I began to travel. I believed that three elements were necessary in order to guarantee a great photograph; water, mountains and a great sky. Being from the flat lands of western Ohio, that combination of three elements didn’t exist, so I had to travel.
I still believe those three elements make it much easier to create eye appealing images, but my philosophy has changed over the years. I long ago discovered there can be beauty and great emotion contained within some of the most unlikely objects and images. Many of the images contained within this site will hopefully demonstrate that.
When I was a young boy of about five, I experienced the desire to become a photographer. If my memory serves me well, which is at the very best questionable, my first camera was purchased for the price of two quarters and ten Bazooka bubble gum comics in 1963.
During the following year, I purchased several rolls of film and took a multitude of photos with that camera, but none of the photos were ever printed. However, a lifelong desire to become a photographer was born.
I began to have aspirations of becoming a writer at the age of six. Later that same year as a first grader, I won an essay contest about safety. My career as a writer appeared to be off to a great start, but as time passed, I became neither a photographer, nor a writer. The dreams never died because life seemed to offer other distractions and opportunities.
However, as time passed, I did become a teacher, a salesman, a landscape designer, a diesel mechanic, an assortment of managers and other things. After more than thirty years, my dream to be a photographer or writer remained a dream.
I purchased my last 35mm camera in 2000 for substantially more than the fifty cents I’d invested in 1963. My last digital camera purchased in 2007 was also much more expensive, but surprisingly less than the 35. Not surprisingly, my desire to capture better images had expanded like the camera prices.
It appeared my dream to be a photographer might materialize in 2001 when I accidently created several photographic images christened, “Tree Designs.” By 2003, I’d created hundreds of them, but had never publicly displayed even one. It was also in 2003 that I began to seriously consider writing a book and by the spring of 2005 the book was well on its way to completion.
The first Tree Design photo was entered in a large photography competition in central Ohio in October of 2005. It garnered me a best of show award and my dream appeared to be headed for reality.
I chose to go the route of self-publishing with my book and it came to life in late December of 2005. The title of the book was, “There’s a Fish on the Sidewalk and a Frog on My Windshield Wiper.” That was also the same month my first photography show was scheduled at a gallery in Columbus, Ohio. The show featured about ten of my Tree Design images.
My first gallery show began in January of 2005 and my book also became available at that time. I was elated to say the least, but after about three years of optimism, the economy took a dive and sales of photographs tanked, while my writing career struggled. No one was buying anything.
A familiar comment at many of my shows was, “I’ve got to have that picture.” Many wanted to buy, but no one was getting out their wallet. I sold a book here and there, but if it hadn’t been for my regular job as a diesel mechanic, I’d have starved.
I did as many as three photography exhibits in some years, but sold few pieces of work. I tried to write, but couldn’t seem to get past the first few chapters of anything.
To make matters worse, I had become very disenchanted with my job and much of my world. It was time for a dramatic change in life and that change began in the spring of 2008. I took an exploratory trip to Alaska and fell hopelessly in love with the place and began planning a second trip shortly after flying home in June.
My departure from Alaska marked the beginning of the pursuit of another dream. Since the age of 16, I’d dreamed of riding a motorcycle to Alaska. Two years later in May of 2010 I quit my job, got on my bike and began riding to Alaska.
For nearly four months beginning in mid-May through early September, I camped, hiked, photographed, painted and wrote about my adventure. It was the most amazing physical and spiritual experience of my life and had taken nearly 35 years to accomplish.
I returned to Ohio early in September, planning to take a year off in order to write a book about my adventure. I also put together two or three new photography exhibits hoping to again make some money selling my photographic works.
During the following year, I compiled nearly 400 pages of, “Diary of an Alaskan Motorcycle Adventure”, which has yet to be published. I exhibited many of my best photographs from my adventure, but the outcome remained the same and very little sold.
During that first year following my return from Alaska, I had no steady income and returned to teaching as a substitute. I decided to see how long I could survive on what little I’d saved and what I could earn through substituting and odd jobs. Little did I realize the many challenges and blessings that lay ahead?
The biggest challenge would be related to finances, but despite earning less than the poverty level each year, money hasn’t been a problem. The I.R.S. sends me a letter every year telling me I qualify for Earned Income credit. Each year I tear it up and toss it in the trash.
I remain optimistic about my future and may be one of the happiest people around despite my lack of finances. What aren’t lacking in my life are blessings, and that’s part of what this site is all about.
After turning my back on what society and the world expected of me, I discovered I was much happier. There have been struggles at times, but “God has taken care of everything.” I’ve learned that faith more than makes up for any lack of funds. It’s not always easy, but I can honestly say, “I’ve never been happier and more blessed in my entire life.”
I enjoy a freedom that few people ever realize and invest my time as carefully as I invest my money. During my summers I still try to ride west and visit an assortment of friends that I’ve made over the years. Of course, I continue to photograph and write.
This website represents one of the countless blessings I’ve experienced since this journey began. Numerous individuals offered to assist me in developing a website to promote my photography and writing for many years. None ever materialized. However, that changed in the fall of 2014.
One day while substituting at a nearby high school, I met two bright and talented young men, Hunter and Jarrett. During our conversation we discussed my desire to have a website that would promote my work. Both young men expressed great enthusiasm at the prospect of using their knowledge and skills to develop a website for me.
They were eager to gain the experience and expressed a great deal of faith in my photographic and writing abilities. I’m not sure who has received more encouragement from whom, but the three of us took a leap of faith and this site is the result.
One of my main objectives for becoming a photographer is to capture unusual and often unseen or unnoticed views of the world around me. Once the image is captured, my goal is then to share the image with as many people as possible. Hopefully this site will accomplish that objective.
I’m sure my two young friends, Hunter and Jarrett, would agree when I say, “I hope you find my photographs and the efforts of my two young friends a worthy investment of your time.” Please enjoy the results of a God given gift to photograph the world around me and the blessing of two talented young men for developing this site. Who knows, maybe I will yet succeed!
-Mark D. Enyart
Photographer
I’ve been passionate about many things throughout my life and photography has been the leading passion which continues to this day. Other passions of mine depicted within this website include motorcycles, travel, trains and almost anything related to the great outdoors.
I had a theory about good photography for many years, but was unable to put it into practice until I began to travel. I believed that three elements were necessary in order to guarantee a great photograph; water, mountains and a great sky. Being from the flat lands of western Ohio, that combination of three elements didn’t exist, so I had to travel.
I still believe those three elements make it much easier to create eye appealing images, but my philosophy has changed over the years. I long ago discovered there can be beauty and great emotion contained within some of the most unlikely objects and images. Many of the images contained within this site will hopefully demonstrate that.
When I was a young boy of about five, I experienced the desire to become a photographer. If my memory serves me well, which is at the very best questionable, my first camera was purchased for the price of two quarters and ten Bazooka bubble gum comics in 1963.
During the following year, I purchased several rolls of film and took a multitude of photos with that camera, but none of the photos were ever printed. However, a lifelong desire to become a photographer was born.
I began to have aspirations of becoming a writer at the age of six. Later that same year as a first grader, I won an essay contest about safety. My career as a writer appeared to be off to a great start, but as time passed, I became neither a photographer, nor a writer. The dreams never died because life seemed to offer other distractions and opportunities.
However, as time passed, I did become a teacher, a salesman, a landscape designer, a diesel mechanic, an assortment of managers and other things. After more than thirty years, my dream to be a photographer or writer remained a dream.
I purchased my last 35mm camera in 2000 for substantially more than the fifty cents I’d invested in 1963. My last digital camera purchased in 2007 was also much more expensive, but surprisingly less than the 35. Not surprisingly, my desire to capture better images had expanded like the camera prices.
It appeared my dream to be a photographer might materialize in 2001 when I accidently created several photographic images christened, “Tree Designs.” By 2003, I’d created hundreds of them, but had never publicly displayed even one. It was also in 2003 that I began to seriously consider writing a book and by the spring of 2005 the book was well on its way to completion.
The first Tree Design photo was entered in a large photography competition in central Ohio in October of 2005. It garnered me a best of show award and my dream appeared to be headed for reality.
I chose to go the route of self-publishing with my book and it came to life in late December of 2005. The title of the book was, “There’s a Fish on the Sidewalk and a Frog on My Windshield Wiper.” That was also the same month my first photography show was scheduled at a gallery in Columbus, Ohio. The show featured about ten of my Tree Design images.
My first gallery show began in January of 2005 and my book also became available at that time. I was elated to say the least, but after about three years of optimism, the economy took a dive and sales of photographs tanked, while my writing career struggled. No one was buying anything.
A familiar comment at many of my shows was, “I’ve got to have that picture.” Many wanted to buy, but no one was getting out their wallet. I sold a book here and there, but if it hadn’t been for my regular job as a diesel mechanic, I’d have starved.
I did as many as three photography exhibits in some years, but sold few pieces of work. I tried to write, but couldn’t seem to get past the first few chapters of anything.
To make matters worse, I had become very disenchanted with my job and much of my world. It was time for a dramatic change in life and that change began in the spring of 2008. I took an exploratory trip to Alaska and fell hopelessly in love with the place and began planning a second trip shortly after flying home in June.
My departure from Alaska marked the beginning of the pursuit of another dream. Since the age of 16, I’d dreamed of riding a motorcycle to Alaska. Two years later in May of 2010 I quit my job, got on my bike and began riding to Alaska.
For nearly four months beginning in mid-May through early September, I camped, hiked, photographed, painted and wrote about my adventure. It was the most amazing physical and spiritual experience of my life and had taken nearly 35 years to accomplish.
I returned to Ohio early in September, planning to take a year off in order to write a book about my adventure. I also put together two or three new photography exhibits hoping to again make some money selling my photographic works.
During the following year, I compiled nearly 400 pages of, “Diary of an Alaskan Motorcycle Adventure”, which has yet to be published. I exhibited many of my best photographs from my adventure, but the outcome remained the same and very little sold.
During that first year following my return from Alaska, I had no steady income and returned to teaching as a substitute. I decided to see how long I could survive on what little I’d saved and what I could earn through substituting and odd jobs. Little did I realize the many challenges and blessings that lay ahead?
The biggest challenge would be related to finances, but despite earning less than the poverty level each year, money hasn’t been a problem. The I.R.S. sends me a letter every year telling me I qualify for Earned Income credit. Each year I tear it up and toss it in the trash.
I remain optimistic about my future and may be one of the happiest people around despite my lack of finances. What aren’t lacking in my life are blessings, and that’s part of what this site is all about.
After turning my back on what society and the world expected of me, I discovered I was much happier. There have been struggles at times, but “God has taken care of everything.” I’ve learned that faith more than makes up for any lack of funds. It’s not always easy, but I can honestly say, “I’ve never been happier and more blessed in my entire life.”
I enjoy a freedom that few people ever realize and invest my time as carefully as I invest my money. During my summers I still try to ride west and visit an assortment of friends that I’ve made over the years. Of course, I continue to photograph and write.
This website represents one of the countless blessings I’ve experienced since this journey began. Numerous individuals offered to assist me in developing a website to promote my photography and writing for many years. None ever materialized. However, that changed in the fall of 2014.
One day while substituting at a nearby high school, I met two bright and talented young men, Hunter and Jarrett. During our conversation we discussed my desire to have a website that would promote my work. Both young men expressed great enthusiasm at the prospect of using their knowledge and skills to develop a website for me.
They were eager to gain the experience and expressed a great deal of faith in my photographic and writing abilities. I’m not sure who has received more encouragement from whom, but the three of us took a leap of faith and this site is the result.
One of my main objectives for becoming a photographer is to capture unusual and often unseen or unnoticed views of the world around me. Once the image is captured, my goal is then to share the image with as many people as possible. Hopefully this site will accomplish that objective.
I’m sure my two young friends, Hunter and Jarrett, would agree when I say, “I hope you find my photographs and the efforts of my two young friends a worthy investment of your time.” Please enjoy the results of a God given gift to photograph the world around me and the blessing of two talented young men for developing this site. Who knows, maybe I will yet succeed!
-Mark D. Enyart
Photographer