Mark McInnis has travelled the world with his camera in tow, and boy does he have some stories to tell…

Mark McInnis decided on his career path way back in high school. While he’d always been creative, and even had plans to become an artist, Mark admits that he mostly “sucked” at painting and drawing; but it was during a photography class in his junior year that Mark had an epiphany. “When I found photography and it clicked, I was instantly in love,” he recalls.

Now 41 years-old, Mark’s love for the craft has remained strong, so much so that he continued using his first-ever 1998 Canon FTb up until 2020. Mark’s years-long passion for photography is reflected in his nature-bound portfolio, where his lens has stayed keenly focussed on some of the world’s most stunning landscapes. And while Mark’s camera traces him from Alaskan ice caves to Sahara sand dunes, it’s the allure of the ocean that remains the strongest. 

“My biggest passion is photographing the ocean, surfing and empty waves… I love shooting big, pulled back landscapes with perfect waves reeling off mysterious headlands,” Mark says. Although his landscape photography is worthy of its own NetGeo spread, Mark is equally at home in the commercial space, having worked with surf brand giants like Hurley and Vans. 

“Commercial work is equally fun and even more rewarding. When you have somebody relying on you to create compelling images, it creates a challenge, and when you nail it, it’s so satisfying,” he says. But corporate clients aren’t the only ones who entrust his vision, with professional surfers like Greg Urata and Hank Gaskell also enlisting Mark’s unique eye for the ocean (pictured below). 

As to be expected for a globetrotting photographer, Mark has his fair share of memorable experiences, which include, but are not limited to: hanging out of a helicopter in Alaska, sea cave diving in Spain, and being detained by border control in Canada. You’d think his bucket list would’ve been complete, but Mark’s craziest moment occurred in Central America.  

“[I got a] super rare infection in my ankle from shooting in the water in Panama. Had I waited any longer to go to the ER, my leg would’ve had to be amputated from the knee down. Thanks, photography, you keep things interesting,” he says. 

Catch all of these experiences and more in Mark’s Frames below, and head here to follow him on Instagram.