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When you walk into Mark Lent’s office in the DCC building on the UIC campus, the cameras command your immediate attention. Over 100 of them actually, and from all corners of the world. “The large one is from World War 2 and was used on a B-17 bomber to photograph the damage done to German targets during bombing raids by allied forces,” he pointed out. 

Mark Lent has been an instructor for nine years.

“I use them in teaching the historical portions of media and photography,” he explains. “In my photography class, I bring cameras that date from the 1800s to the most current mirrorless DSLR with one camera representing each decade,” he continues. “I allow the students to hold and examine many of the cameras, and I think it’s an interesting way for my class to connect with the history behind the technology, and the students seem to love it, even clapping at the end of the class presentation.” Mark smiled. Originally from Syracuse, New York, in the US, Mark is well-travelled and has been to North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Africa. 

Very early digital cameras

A wide range of Soviet/Russian cameras

Some of Mark's favourite cameras are the Chinese makers, which are considered hard to find in America

“My father was in the military, and we moved pretty regularly while I was growing up, living in several places in America and the Netherlands in Europe,” He explained. “I think this helped my career as a photojournalist because it teaches you to meet and speak to strangers quite easily. But, then, working as a photojournalist, I travelled even more,” Mark continued.

Mark claims this Nikon S Rangefinder camera as one of his most prized. He spent nearly 30 years searching for one and found it on Taobao

The Mercury II is one of the more unusual cameras in Mark's collection

The Purma is a British camera that was designed by an artist and is a square format frame for the images

Indeed, Mark was a working photographer in America for over 30 years and was associated with some of the most prominent media companies in the country, including Scripps-Howard, Multimedia, the New York Times Company, the Associated Press and several magazines.

“I liked to write too, so whenever I had the opportunity, I would turn in the complete photo and story packages. I also wrote for several magazines and the online versions of Popular Photography and Imaging Magazine, then the largest photography magazine globally and the Adorama Learning Center, which is a significant online portal for all things photographic.

There were only 400 of this specific model (Military green Voigtlander Bessa-T) made worldwide - It is a rare limited edition to celebrate the company's 100th anniversary

The Leica is a hand-made German camera that is known for superior craftsmanship and superb optics

“I always tell people that I have had the opportunity to meet Presidents and sleep under bridges with the homeless and everything in-between these,” Mark remembers. “It’s a fascinating way to make a living, and I learned so much from so many people, and it gives you great insight into how people in different regions and situations live,” Mark said. As it turns out, this was excellent preparation and training for Mark’s most current project, a book about his experiences here in China that is tentatively titled “China, A Photographer’s Journey”, which he is hoping will be published within the next two years.

“Covid has placed a damper on the travel, and a major portion of the book will be the photography from all of the regions in China, so it is important to record the people and places within China. I really have come to love the Chinese people. They have been very good to me and given me significant opportunities to prosper and grow as an educator, so the book is twofold, the first being as a way of saying ‘thank you to the people of China for their magnificent treatment and opportunities. Next, to give a wider education and understanding of the Chinese people to western audiences. I find that after living here for six years that we Americans have much in common with the Chinese people. We want good jobs, to live in a nice home, eat good food, raise our children to be healthy and productive members of society and maybe even take an occasional vacation,” Mark observed.

The Kodak Baby Brownie was made of Bakelite, an early form of plastic that was quite rugged and had an "art deco" design

The Graflex was a popular camera for press photographers at the turn of the 20th Century and remained in use until the mid-1930s

The iconic Speed Graphic was known as the standard for press photographers from the mid-1930s until the 1960s and is still a popular camera to this day (The arm for the flash was used for the lightsabers in the Star Wars movies )

“Because the project is an expensive one to produce, with travel to the various locations having a high cost, I have applied for several grants, with UIC leading the way with a 60,000 RMB grant that I was awarded shortly after beginning my work here at UIC during the spring 2021 semester. I had attempted to apply for grants at my previous university without success, so having this kind of endorsement from UIC’s research office so early on in my work here was a significant boost to my project. I have been most appreciative to the university for the generosity and interest that has been shown.” Mark remarked.

“When I saw the internet, I knew the days for newspapers were numbered,” said Mark. So, I went back to school at the University of Alabama and completed my graduate degree in Media and Television Production and was fortunate enough to be able to do all of it on full scholarship. I had professors that were nothing short of magnificent, and they inspired me and were mentors to me and how I wanted to be as an educator. I have taken those experiences to heart and attempt to emulate their excellent examples,” Mark noted.

Some photos that Mark has taken while in China

Mark’s educational experience started at a local high school in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It was considered one of the most technically advanced schools in the country when its’ opening. Mark instructed courses in 3D animation and developed the program to be one of the best in the country, having an entire studio complete with motion capture equipment and a lighted stage to work within. After three years, Mark wanted to work overseas and was hired by a private international school in the small city of Kunshan, located between Shanghai and Suzhou, where he continued teaching 3D animation as well as photography and video documentary work. He was selected as the “Best Advisor” for the first high school film competition in Shanghai. Mark instructed high school for two years in China when he was offered a position as the Programme Director for the Digital Media Arts at another joint-venture university, where he worked for four years before accepting a position at UIC to teach his first love of photography as well as digital media courses.

Some of Mark's works

“It has been such an amazing experience working at UIC. The support I receive from my Deans, DCC staff and University is second to none. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to contribute to the education of the students here. I find them to be hard-working, curious and eager to learn, so to be able to lead them is a privilege. I always tell my students at the beginning of the semester that they are ‘my purpose’, and so I am always happy to help them. I like being a practical, hands-on instructor. If I have a student who is having trouble taking pictures for a class assignment, I will go out shooting with them and coach them along the way. If it’s a problem with Photoshop or other software, I will work with them one-on-one in our media lab to help them understand what to do during the process. This is the way I was instructed, and I still feel it’s the best way to reach and educate my students,” remarked Mark.

Currently, Mark instructs the History of Media Arts and Design as well as Digital Imaging and Design during the 2021/2022 semester.

From MPRO

Editors: Samuel Burgess, Deen He