Mark Umstot, a professional wedding, fashion, commercial, and portrait photographer was born in Lubbock, Texas, into a "Leave It To Beaver" family. His early education was at Lubbock High School (school of the late, great Buddy Holly) where his creative urges became too strong to resist. He has Bachelor's Degrees in Spanish and Sociology and obtained a Masters Degree in Theology, but soon realized the need to follow the Creator in re-creation.

Mark has been an artist all his life, including musical arts training in voice and guitar, theatrical training, as well as visual media arts including drawing, painting, sculpting, multimedia, and about every other form you could possibly imagine. Mark chose a move into the photographic arts after coming to desire a more immediate way to communicate his art to the world.

Mark has extended the range and scope of his chosen profession. He captures memorable images of both professional models and those whom have never posed before. His works the full spectrum of the photographic arts, from pinhole cameras (simply a hole in a box with some film) to top-of-the-line digital imaging. He's considered a master of Photoshop (a computer application for visual artists), retouching and perfecting the images that he and his clients create.

Anyway, back to the story: he left New York City after 9/11 and has now taken up permanent residence in Lubbock, Texas. Although Lubbock seems a far cry from the hustle and bustle of a fashion runway, it easily serves as his professional base from where he travels to any destination to capture permanent images of personalities in their chosen places.

People looking for something different than the typical image call on Mark to spend the day with them, allowing him to tell a story with his photographs that they will be honored to view time and time again.

He enjoys the freedom the camera gives him in creating the rules of an imaginary world, where people can star in their visions, getting in touch with their soul and their most secret wishes, without the duty of being what others ask them to be and refusing their superficial overlook.