Mary Ellen Mark

Mary Ellen Mark is perhaps one of the best known female photojournalists. Her career has included portraiture and advertising photography in addition to her photo-journalistic pursuits. Mark became a unit photographer on movie sets and focused on production stills for over 100 films including Alice’s Restaurant, Catch-22, Carnal Knowledge, Apocalypse Now and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Mark's involvement in the movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest prompted her to request permission to live inside the facility where the movie was actually filmed. Mark spent two months there, befriending and photographing women who were patients. These photos were later compiled into a book entitled Ward 81. It is almost impossible to name all of the various awards that Mark has been given over the years. These include a Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award, An Excellence in Journalism award, The Phillipe Halsman Award for Photojournalism from the American Society of Magazine Photographers, a Cornell Capa Award, and a Distinguished Photographer’s Award, Women in Photography.