William Mark Sommer

Sacramento, California

Bio

Over the past 15 years of creating with within photography I have utilized a long-term post documentary mode of storytelling to explore themes of human nature, preservation and empathy. I photograph to further my understanding of a diversity of human experiences, exploring what we hold dear and how our actions shape our environments. Through my work in photography, I have self-published 10 zines that dive into these unique photo topics; from To The Sea, a documentation of the trails and intrigue of a road trip to the Salton Sea, to Buckeye, a zine that documents the feelings of home in a place I had never been. Creating within the book form and developing unique zines has been one of my favorite modes of creation for the past 7 years, and I look towards continuing this practice for many years to come.

Zines

To The Sea, $10.00 - Slab City, Salvation Mountain, Bombay Beach, abandoned places and the largest lake in California that was made completely by accident. To The Sea, documents my two trips to the Salton Sea with my close friends exploring this altered landscape and rediscovering ourselves at the same time. These two separate trips divided by a year brought me to the concept of the impermanence of time and how what is here will eventually be gone. These concepts made me want to hold on to these memories I captured, To the Sea was born from that need. 48 8.5x5.5 pages, full color and b&w images printed on matte coated paper. Single Edition of 50 copies. Printed with Nighted Life, 2017. Purchase here.

Buckeye Zine, $10.00 - While in residence at Open Wabi in central Ohio, I was captivated by how this foreign place felt like home, from its crumbling buildings to its open roads through the countryside. In creating Buckeye, I wanted to capture this feeling of home I had for a place I had never been. All the photos were shot in In late June, 2018, with a Hasselblad 500c/m with Kodak Ektar film. 40 8.5x5.5 pages, full color printed on matte coated paper with additional matte paper statement cards. Every zine comes with 5x5 Print. Single Edition of 50 copies. Printed with Nighted Life, 2018. Purchase here.

Links, Social, & Support

Website: williammarksommer.com/shop

Social media: @williammarksommer on Instagram, williammarksommer on Tumblr