Mark Maziarz, Park City Photographer Spotlight

Mark Maziarz

In this post, we take the time to meet  Mark Maziarz owner of Mark Maziarz Photography

Website: https://maziarz.com/

Instagram Handle: @mmaziarz

Professional Photography

What was your first camera? 

My uncle gave me a Yashica Electro 35 rangefinder camera as a hand me down when I was 12. He bought the camera when he was stationed in Vietnam during the war. I was hooked.

When did you start your professional career as a photographer?

I moved to town right after I graduated from Northwestern. The plan was to stay here for a ski season and then move back to Chicago. When I started noticing a few people making a living from photography here in Park City, I thought I might have to stick around and turn my then-hobby into a career.

Do you specialize in a specific style of photography?

I have three pretty distinct types of photography I practice—the Park City images are my bread and butter. I also do a series of portraits using a hand made camera with a Civil War-era lens, as well as fine art photography as seen at our Create PC studio and gallery space at 660 Main Street.

Do you have a favorite style of photography as a fan?

I like seeing the range of people’s work in fine art photography. I tend to like the more “out there” work that artists are creating. I also love to see a well-crafted street photograph by photographers like Elliott Erwitt and Gary Winogrand.

Do you offer travel services?

I used to travel a lot when working for an agent of US Ski Team athletes, but lately, work and family have been keeping me here in Park City most of the time. But always willing to travel for a good assignment.

What details do you believe make the best photographs? How do you go about focusing on them in your work?

I like small, sometimes hidden figures or elements. For example, let’s say I have a big, wide-open photograph of a huge aspen forest. That’s the first thing you see. After a minute, you notice a tiny hiker in the photo with a camera around their neck taking photographs. It gives one image an opportunity to say multiple things.

Are there any other photographers that have influenced your work?

Always, and there are many. I like Jay Maisel’s use of color and composition. Elliott Erwitt’s humor. Pete Turner’s vivid and contrasty colors. William Eggleston’s mundane subjects.

Favorite place your work has been published?

Wherever my parents can see my work, that would be the Chicago Tribune and the major ski magazines.

A favorite place where your work was shown publicly? 

I really enjoy being a resident artist at Create PC at 660 Main Street. It’s always fun to talk about art with people, and if it’s quiet on Main Street, I get to talk about art with other artists, which is just as great!

Where can people see and purchase your past work? 

Create PC at 660 Main Street, Gallery Mar Carmel in Carmel, California, and https://maziarz.com

First rays of the sun hitting Deer Valley Resort's Bald Mountain over Old Town Park City, Utah, USA.

Life in Park City

What about Park City inspires your work? 

There’s a lot of variety in subject matter—beautiful & historic buildings in a Western mining town, stunning natural vistas, interesting people to talk with, and fun sports to participate in.

What is your favorite season in Park City as a local? As a photographer?  

As a local, I like spring the best because it has a hopeful feeling to it. Snow is melting, trees and plants are budding, and there is a break between all of the activities of winter and summer. As a photographer, I love fall for its bright gold aspen leaves and dark blue skies. It’s a striking combination of colors.

What do you do for fun when you’re not working?

In the winter, I’m usually a Tele skier and in the summer, I’m a mountain biker and hiker. But occasionally I like to swap seasons, like the time I skied the permanent snowfield on Mount Timpanogos in August and when I mountain bike on the hard-packed snow trails in Round Valley in February.

Have you had any jobs/assignments in town that stand out?

There is a lot of opportunity for cool photography jobs in town. Earlier in my career, I used to photograph portraits and race images of US Ski Team members. More recently, I’ve been making portraits of Sundance Film Festival filmmakers, casts, and subjects with a camera mounted with a Civil-War era lens.

Do you have a favorite trail for photographs?

I used to say that I would shoot on any trail with aspen, but I’ve grown an appreciation for sagebrush recently, too. So between aspen and sagebrush, that’s probably 85% of the trails in Park City. If I had to name one trail, I would say Mid-Mountain because of the variety it has, ranging from thick forests of tall, straight aspen trees to exposed hillsides that have great long-range views over the town.

Do you have any advice on taking photographs in Park City?

Main Street really early in the morning is nice and quiet and looks different than you expect. But also, Main Street late at night after all the restaurants and bars close has a cool glow to it. Especially if it just snowed or rained.

And for fun, we had to ask:​

Where is your favorite place in town to eat or grab a drink?

It depends on my mood! I love the outdoor decks at No Name and Boneyard & Wine Dive. Pizza is a staple in my diet, and for that, we usually go to Vinto or Maxwell's.

How many photos have you taken of/at the McPolin Barn?

Not as many as you would think! Pretty much everyone (photographers, painters, locals & visitors alike) has an image of the Barn, so I try to think of unusual ways to photograph it, like from the top of Quarry Mountain.

McPolin Barn in summer at sunset with clouds in the sky.

More of Mark Maziarz's Work

Personal statement about your professional career:

One of the biggest goals I strive for when creating my photography is to get people to slow down and look a little deeper at ourselves and the world around us.

To view more of Mark Maziarz's work, connect with him online:

Website: https://maziarz.com/

Instagram Handle: @mmaziarz