Reproduced with permission from the: Loupe, Vol. XII No 1., Spring 1998
Twenty-five years ago, after a brief meeting
at Time Magazine in New York with Photo Editor John Durniak, who later became
a mentor, Frank McMahon quit his staff job at a publishing company and launched
a career in free-lance photography. Today, based in Chicago and
Galena, Illinois, McMahon operates both a successful photography business
and Digimage, a Web page development company.
McMahon comes from a family of artists."careers
such as photography, were always acceptable in my family, and several family
members are sculptors, artists, actors, and writers,"
he shared. From high school on, his passion was photography.
Graduating from from Chicago's Loyola University with an Anthropology degree McMahon interned at both the Chicago Sun Times newspaper and New York's Time-Life Color Lab during summer breaks. He then joined a major archeological dig in down-state Illinois as staff photographer. "That job produced a cover story for the Chicago Tribune Magazine, and related stories in Time and Smithsonian magazines, several encyclopedias, and other publications. "I always felt that my education in anthropology influenced my photography" McMahon recalled.
A 20-year-plus ASMP member and former Chapter
Co-President and Board member, McMahon firmly believes in what the organization
can do representing photographers' rights and influencing rates. Currently
serving as the Web Master for the Chapter's Web page and
Moderator for the National ASMP Internet Forum, McMahon's ASMP activities
have channeled his career in an entirely new directions "Last year,
my Web page generated more than $13,000 in photography assignments and $6,000
in Web page development work-that's a significant portion of my income,"
McMahon exclaimed.
McMahon's highest volume clients over the years have
included Time, Inc., IBM, Rand McNally & Co., Stone Container Corp.,
and International Harvester. He is currently working with
the Boy Scouts of America, creating the latest version of the Boy Scout
Handbook. Recently McMahon produced a 120-photo Web page chronicle of his
work during the past three decades, titled: 21 Years of Photographic Postings:
An Autobiography in Photography. It includes photos of "Presidents,
Popes, and Princes," as well as several Time covers. The site, which
is linked to the Chapter Web page, follows McMahon's career from his
black-and-white photojournalism in the '70s to the high-tech digital imaging
that will bring photography into the next millennium.
by Jill Norton
Editor: Al Debat
Art Director: Jim Polaski
The Loupe is a Publication of: ASMP Chicago/Midwest
In the same issue:
Chapter Web Meister Frank McMahon shows everyone how it's done by
producing a spectacular, leading-edge 120-photo Web site extravaganza that
charts 21 years of his career in professional photography. As a Time and
Life shooter for more than a decade, McMahon covered news
events throughout the Midwest and nationally. This on-line photo exhibit
is titled, "21 Year of Photographic Postings: An Autobiography in Photography
(based upon Frank's periodic promotional postcards), and contains a remarkable
collection of celebrity subjects ranging among President Jimmy Carter, Prince
Charles, and Pope John Paul, as well as portraits of everyday working people
and a selection of beautiful scenic vistas. You can visit this Web site
at <http://www.galenalink.net/~fmcmahon>
and for more contemporary images by Frank visit <http://chimwasmp.org/mcmahon>.
Today, in addition to his corporate and editorial photo journalistic work
he is also a leading expert in digital image manipulation and is a sought-out
consultant on Web page design and execution. If you need help setting up
your Web page, call Frank at 312.554.0524 or you can Email him at frank@digimage.net. This month's cover depicts
some of his Photographic Postings, while a Loupe "Portfolio" features
more recent work.
updated 7/20/98