Tag Archives: fitness photographer

Kristin Bauer is my WCW for today.

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You know the saying about the right people will show up in your life exactly when you need them? Kristin is one of those people.

We are going back to the beginning of my portrait career for this one. I won’t mention how long we’ve known each other but it’s been a while. I was a newbie to the game, a babe in the woods. I didn’t know what I wanted or how to do a thing. I just knew I wanted to be a portrait photographer.

She was a known NYC runway and fashion model who, from what I can tell, took pity on me as I had nothing to offer her in terms of quality images. She was born and raised in my area and would come home to visit from time to time. We linked up whenever she did.

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Welcoming Spring back to Virginia Beach.

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It’s been far too long since we last met. Here’s what’s in the works for the upcoming season.

In celebration of the death of Winter I’m posting some of the greatest hits from last year’s sessions. It is only a matter of time before we can head back outside and create even more magical images. I am not the same photographer that I was last season. I’ve grown skill-wise and want to stretch and use the new photographic muscles

On a personal level, I’m celebrating the impending arrival of a studio backdrop and other equipment in an effort to rebuild a small studio space at my place. I used to have one when I lived in upstate NY but it got destroyed in the move.

Having this small studio will allow me to create more fine art style images as well as fitness images, headshots, fashion and such. Recent forays into short video has shown a potential new route for me to take and this space will help with that. It also will become a default “Plan B” in case bad weather ruins a location session.

So, the future is looking bright. I hope you join me as I explore and grow.

Mark Knopp is a Virginia-Beach-based portrait photographer and teacher that covers the Hampton Roads community and beyond. Contact him today at mknopp1(at)cox.net for all your photographic needs.

Severine doing yoga silhouetted against the sunset at First Landing State Park.

Despite what the calendar says, location portrait sessions continue.

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There is no real “off-season” here in Virginia Beach.

The main reason I moved down here over eight years ago was the nice climate. Where I’m from snow flies before Halloween and lasts until May. Count it out on your fingers – that’s six months that snow could fall. And let me tell you, it falls. My hometown averages 140 inches of the white stuff every year.

Let me repeat that – averages 140 inches. 12 feet of the white stuff. We’d close up shop by late September and wouldn’t poke our heads back outside until at least mid-May.

Here is southeastern Virginia it really doesn’t get cold and it doesn’t stay cold for long. There are spans of time where it might only get to 50 but then, when the conditions line up right, we suddenly get a spat of 70-75 degree days. Thanks to technology we can see those days coming ahead of time and make plans.

Take, for example, Sean here. He reached out to me about doing a fitness session at the beach recently. A quick scan of the local forecasts showed that it would warm up over the coming weekend so we made plans.

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