Mark Vollmer is an award-winning outdoor photographer, instructor and freelance writer based in Reno, Nevada. His illustrated feature articles have appeared in Nevada Magazine, and his images have been widely published in regional books, calendars and brochures. Mark’s first book, Tahoe Rim Trail, Exploring the Jewel, which he authored and co-photographed with Reno photographer Scott Sady, broke sales records in Reno and Tahoe area bookstores upon its 2003 release.
Mark chooses to use the 35mm format camera for its lightweight versatility that enables him to move easily in the wilderness in search for nature’s special moments of light. His love of photography began with family outings to the Grand Canyon and other Southwest locales as a youngster in Arizona, and later while earning his geology degree in Northern Arizona University. He enjoys sharing with photo workshop students his knowledge and passion for the West that grew out of these early journeys. A student of Galen Rowell, Frans Lanting and David Muench, Mark has taught photo classes of his own through Washoe County Parks, the Tahoe Rim Trail Association, and Truckee Meadows Community College. In April 2007, TMCC honored Mark with its Excellence in Teaching Award.
The physical and spiritual beauty of the earth and its inhabitants inspire Mark’s outdoor photography. He uses dramatic lighting and unusual angles for a creative composition to express on film his insight and feeling for a scene. For this emotional connection to happen, Mark believes the photographer must focus her or his senses before focusing the camera, exploring a location’s lines, patterns, colors and shapes, listening to sounds and smelling fragrances before using the camera. This enables one to photograph as an active participant the scene. Mark’s photographs have hung in galleries in Reno, Sacramento, and South Lake Tahoe. The images on display here reveal his love for the rich natural & cultural heritage of Lake Tahoe & Nevada.
