Rising Stars: Meet Marcia Ward

Today we’d like to introduce you to Marcia Ward.

Alright, thank you for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My commercial photography business, The Image Maker, is one of the oldest commercial photography studios in Colorado. My husband Ed and I purchased the studio in 1992 from retiring photographer Warren Blanc who began the Image Maker in the 60s. Since then we have had a wild and wonderful ride keeping the business vital. The Image Maker specializes in portraiture, wedding  and event services and the photography of fine art that includes paintings, sculptures, antiquities, weavings, pottery, etc. Our connection to the arts is extremely important. Ed pursues painting, writing, and drama, and I consider every photography job an art project. I also am a fine art photographer. My specialty is combining photos that transform the reality of photography into collages and dreamscapes.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The transformation from film to digital was perhaps the biggest change we had to come to terms with. With film I provided 4″x 5″ and 8″x10″ transparencies and negatives for clients and we were able to charge a professional rate for our services as our skills were highly specialized. Over the past two decades, digital photography has allowed many more photo enthusiasts to market themselves as professionals, so there is a lot more competition.  We are able to stay in business by diversifying and expanding our wedding services to include wedding officiating as well as wedding and event photography. We are also involved in art consulting wherein a number of my fine art clients also have me write proposals for public art commissions, organize and market art exhibits, and make short art films that feature artist’s current work and talent. These films can be seen on my YouTube channel.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
When I began as a photographer I was more interested in photography as a fine art. Jerry Uelsmann and Edmund Teske had a great influence on the way I approached an image. I love mixing things up to create a photograph that isn’t necessarily real or true but has a dreamlike/spiritual quality. I started by combining black and white negatives in the darkroom using multiple enlargers. This work took hours of patience and experimentation but when a wild and exciting image appeared in the developer, it was magical. Working in this manner was personally very rewarding but the financial reward was grim. As I developed as an artist I also saw my family grow with the addition of two sons. The need to turn photography into a career was paramount. The Image Maker was the tool that made it all happen. Commercial film photography meant mastering the technical aspect of photography as well as maintaining a creative style. I found that I loved the marriage of technique and creativity, plus I was earning a living. While I still keep a hand in my collection of fine art photography, my main focus is on creating images for clients. One of my most unique jobs was creating a photograph for the Mars Rover. I was asked by Martin Marietta to photograph a document that had been signed by all the professionals who had developed and worked on the Rover. A small window that was open to both the inside and the outside of the Rover would hold the two archival photographs. So, as it states on the Image Maker website, I have a photograph of Mars!

Who else deserves credit for your story?
My husband Ed and I own the Image Maker together. As a married couple, the business has been our third child that still lives at home. We are completely entwined in our personal and professional lives. Ed has taken care of the Image Maker accounting and financing needs while pursuing his artistic talents.

This allowed me to focus on photography which has been my passion since arriving in adulthood. The two of us have had equal input and I think the doubling of commitment and desire has allowed us to keep the Image Maker alive for the past thirty one years.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.theimagemaker.qwestoffice.net
• Email: marciaward88@gmail.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ImageMakerWeddings
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@marciaward7685, https://www.youtube.com/@marciaward7685
• Other: https://www.youtube.com/@edwinward6712