Resume

MARK S. BERGSMA

PO Box 4096 • Bellingham, WA 98225 • mark@beyondcaptureimaging.com • 360-671-6818

TALENT

  • Critically proficient in high end post capture photo compositing and retouching services. Competently skillled at utilizing Adobe PhotoshopCS3 extended, Lightroom, Adobe Bridge, Camera Raw, Flexcolor scanning software, Nikon D2Xs, Adobe Illustrator CS3, Color management, Macintosh Computers, and Large format Epson Ink Jet Printing.
  • Highly motivated creative fine art photographer and dedicated professional with extensive experience in the Graphic arts and Photography. Co-managed key administrative, marketing, accounting, operational and technological functions that would allow my own artist’s gallery to function in today’s extremely competitive environment.
  • Excellent understanding of, and hands-on experience in, business operations of an artist’s productive art gallery. Deeply involved in creative direction of my own photographic work, gallery design, marketing, administration, merchandising, human resources, vendor and customer relations.
  • Innovative business perspective gained through experience in a variety of industries. Quick study with high level of versatility, flexibility, and commitment to success.
  • Proven success designing, creating, developing an elegant gallery atmosphere that markets my work along side other artist’s work. Implemented technical and operational procedures that streamline the production of and merchandising of fine art photography.

MOST RECENT PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

  • BeyondCapture IMAGING  ~  Bellingham, WA Startup in 2007 and officially luanched in November, 2008  ~  Owner/Creative Director/Operations Manager  ~  Providing creative photographic services focused on high end photocomposite imaging and retouching techniques. Our client base consists of photographers, graphic designers and advertising agencies. Our online services can reach out to nationwide clients.
  • Mark Bergsma Gallery – Bellingham, WA 6/2001 to 9/2008 - Owner/Creative Director/Fine Art Photographer ~  For more indepth information visit www.markbergsma.com. I was responsible for designing the gallery, my own creative directions, self motivation, visual thinking, and acquisition and implementation of new photographic technological processes. With the help of my business partner and wife Beverly, our success was well respected within our community. Together we promoted an elegant gallery venue. Our operational excellence, and superior standards for customer service complimented our ability to market my own fine art photographic work and other artist’s creative work. Beverly managed payroll, bookkeeping, and reporting functions; handled fiscal transactions, scheduled appointments and managed daily operations of the gallery.

Key Implementations:

  • 2007 Luanch of BeyondCapture IMAGING
  • 2005 brought on the full conversion from film based imaging to digital capture and printing of all my photographic fine art images.
  • Organized and introduced a customer contact system that improved efficiency and contributed to providing clients with exceptional service.
  • Created results-driven marketing strategies, including high profile gallery exhibits.
  • Developed innovative ideas to enhance sales, such as in-home/in-office consultations for clients.
  • Planned and executed highly effective marketing events to generate revenue and ongoing visibility. We consistently worked on new marketing strategies.

EXPERIENCE PREVIOUS TO 2001

Mark Bergsma Photographer Gallery – Bellingham, WA 1/1990 to 6/2001

  • Owner/Creative Director/Operations Manager.  ~ This was the initial location of my own studio/gallery.

Key Implementations:

  • Developed and managed a successful business from the ground up that marketed my own fine art photography.
  • Designed, maintained and implemented a chemical based darkroom, showroom and production space.
  • Produced photographic reproductions of artist’s renderings.
  • Consulted with customers to determine needs, present products, and offer information on ordering custom finished projects.

EARLY PHOTOGRAPHIC CAREER  ~  Bellingham, WA 1979 to 1/1990

Photographer

  • Returning to Bellingham from Portland brought about a career change. An over zealous pursuit of photography and grand thinking that I would be the next Ansel Adams was partially my motivation.

Key Implementations:

  • Studied photography through veracious self motivated reading and practice.
  • Purchased camera equipment and darkroom equipment.
  • Built “garage” darkroom.
  • Participated in numerous art fairs and gallery shows.
  • Commercial fishing in 1979 and 1980 in Alaska, Washington and California partially supported my photography habits.

THE GRAPHIC ARTS INDUSTRY  ~  Portland, OR 1972 to 1979

  • Pressman and Light Table Film Stripping for Offset Lithography
  • Worked in all aspects of offset printing. From shop foreman, to job engineering, cost estimating, press operating, stripping, bindery, camera work, plate making and paper cutting.

Key Employers:

Knapp Printing Company – Press operation and camera room technician.
Wy’east Color – Filmwork for offset lithography. Final film for platemaking. Darkroom work. Job engineering.
Pacific Color Plate – Filmwork for offset lithography and color separations.

EDUCATION – WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY – Bellingham, WA 1967 to 1971

  • Degree – Bachelor of Science - Visual Communications Major – Graduation 6/1971
  • Key Areas of Study: The graphic arts – Printing, design, drafting, drawing, photography.

~ ARTIST'S STATEMENT ~

“I have developed an Introspective and Zen-like pursuit of the final image making process.
It’s as if I want to reveal the story behind each image.”

A Brief Overview

After 8 years of operation, The Mark Bergsma Gallery at  11 Bellwether Way, Suite 104 on Bellingham’s beautiful waterfront has been closed to allow Mark to pursue the implimentation of BeyondCapture IMAGING. You can still purchase prints of his fine art photographic images through direct contact and review his work at www.markbergsma.com. For more information please call 360-671-6818 or send email to mark@markbergsma.com.

As a photographer Mark has seen challenging changes in the industry and in technology. His adaptation to new digital imaging methods has made him feel more like a “print maker” or illustrator where photography and digital artistry have become the most dominate of his techniques in his image making toolbox.

Fine art color images of the Pacific Northwest’s coasts, shorelines, mountains and the beloved San Juan Islands found their way into his image banks. In almost 3 decades of photographic work the processes and smells have evolved and adjusted into the digital arena. Mark’s pursuit of perfection and desire for greater control in the printing process predicated a change.

Artists of inspiration moved from Ansel Adams, Galen Rowell, Art Wolfe, Bruce Barnbaum, and John Sexton etc. to Jerry Ulseman and John Paul Caponigro, Howard Schatz and several other emerging digital artists. Impressionists and artists such as Georgia O’Keefe and Picasso invited Mark to do more with his work than “just photography”. The challenge still lingers.

With photography a highlight in Mark’s youthful interests, the attachment and dedication developed into a career change at the age of 29. Mark left the security of a career in the graphic arts and began printing images in a makeshift “garage” darkroom and images of the Northwest became his visual pursuit.

Mark Bergsma’s love affair with photography probably began at the age of six. His grandfather fascinated Mark in the dim yellow magic light of the darkroom as the image emerged in the pungent chemicals seemingly from within the paper. Those familiar chemical smells and visions implanted themselves in his emerging memory banks.