| MarkChamberlinPhotos.com |
"Having been born and raised in New Hampshire's
picturesque Merrimack Valley, I always enjoyed the
outdoors: hunting, mining, gardening, and
particularly hiking. In 1978, after a 4 year stint in
the U.S. Marines, I hiked 1,800 miles of the
Appalachian Trail. I am still an avid outdoorsman,
despite being in a wheelchair full time. I started
taking photographs 35 years ago, but my best work
has come since my illness, when my 'focus' and
values changed. All the pictures in this collection
were taken from my car window. I hope they bring
joy to whomever views them. My photographs are
the most sincere way I have to express myself, and
it is my pleasure to share my vision."
Mark Chamberlin
from "Before the Blossom"
Thomas Tam 2007
Photos by Mark Chamberlin
Sadly, Mark lost his 6 1/2 year battle with ALS on
April 9, 2008. No one has ever met adversity with
greater fortitude and courage. Mark's drive and
determination continue to be an inspiration to all
who knew him.
We were blessed to have you in our lives, Mark.
We miss you.
picturesque Merrimack Valley, I always enjoyed the
outdoors: hunting, mining, gardening, and
particularly hiking. In 1978, after a 4 year stint in
the U.S. Marines, I hiked 1,800 miles of the
Appalachian Trail. I am still an avid outdoorsman,
despite being in a wheelchair full time. I started
taking photographs 35 years ago, but my best work
has come since my illness, when my 'focus' and
values changed. All the pictures in this collection
were taken from my car window. I hope they bring
joy to whomever views them. My photographs are
the most sincere way I have to express myself, and
it is my pleasure to share my vision."
Mark Chamberlin
from "Before the Blossom"
Thomas Tam 2007
Photos by Mark Chamberlin
Sadly, Mark lost his 6 1/2 year battle with ALS on
April 9, 2008. No one has ever met adversity with
greater fortitude and courage. Mark's drive and
determination continue to be an inspiration to all
who knew him.
We were blessed to have you in our lives, Mark.
We miss you.
| ALL PHOTOGRAPHY COPYRIGHT 2007 MARK CHAMBERLIN PHOTOS DEBRA RATTEE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED |
fine art photography
| since February 24, 2008 thanks for visiting! |
Concord Monitor (NH)
April 10, 2008
Reflecting
In his fight with Lou Gehrig's disease, Mark
Chamberlin has gained an artist's eye
Author: SARAH M. EARLE Monitor staff
Section: Arts & Entertainment
As Mark Chamberlin slowly lost the ability to walk,
he gained something unexpected. The photos
he'd been taking since he hiked the Appalachian
Trail 30 years earlier began to evolve - to grow
more focused, more intimate, somehow more real.
"When he was walking, he was doing more
landscape photos, the stuff you'd see on
postcards," said Chamberlin's brother, Sam,
sitting by Mark's bedside at the Merrimack County
Nursing Home in Boscawen. "His photos have
gotten exponentially better since he had to slow
down. . . . The more recent ones just seem to
jump out at you. They're more art."
That art has followed Chamberlin, 51, to the
nursing home where, after a long battle with
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), he's been
placed in hospice care. His girlfriend, Debra
Rattee, and his brother have put up a small
display of his favorite photos in the lobby. Some
show the brilliant colors of New Hampshire's
countryside cropped in unexpected ways, while
others contemplate and elevate the mundane.
Many show a gorgeous scene in reverse,
reflected in a pond or swirled and distorted by a
moving stream.
"That's one of his favorites," said Rattee, pointing
to a shot of brown leaves and pine needles
floating on the surface of some unknown pond or
puddle. "And I thought, 'I didn't know dead leaves
could look so good.' . . . I love his photos. I would
never have noticed some of the things he takes
pictures of."
Before being diagnosed with ALS in 2001,
Chamberlin might not have noticed such things
either. He loved the outdoors, but he was always
on the go - hiking, hunting, mining, gardening.
Born and raised in Salisbury, he served in the
Marines and on the Salisbury Fire Department, as
well as working in real estate.
As the disease began to rob Chamberlin of
muscle function, he turned more and more to
photography, driving to his favorite places and
taking pictures through his car window with a
zoom lens. Thanks to a car equipped with hand
controls, he was able to keep driving until about
five months ago. During that time, he also
co-authored a book on the rangeways of New
Hampshire (those old roads that often provoke
heated discussions at town meetings) and worked
with an energy healer to put together a book of
photos and poems.
"How has the photography helped you?" Rattee
asked Chamberlin, who lay watching the Red Sox
on a television set flanked by two large framed
prints - one of a stone wall in the snow, the other
of a wagon on a hill. Chamberlin, who can no
longer talk but whose brain functions as well as
ever, slowly raised one hand and made a short,
downward sweep.
"Calmed you down?" asked Sam Chamberlin.
Chamberlin nodded, then asked for a pen to write
on a notebook he held on his lap. With slow,
childlike strokes he wrote one word: "Perspective."
Copyright, 2008, Concord Monitor
Record Number: 804100315
| Mark D. Chamberlin 8/17/56 - 4/09/08 |
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| Enjoy this sampling of Mark's collection and check back often for new additions. |
