Author: Linni Kral
It’s okay, don’t call the cops, he’s just taking your picture. In fact, he’s been hired by Occidental to take your picture. Meet Marc Campos, our new College Photographer. While most students are probably unaware that we even have such a position to fill, this seasoned artist is hoping to make Oxy his home.
With over a decade of experience under his belt, Campos has worked for Skidmore, Claremont-McKenna, Pitzer, Scripps, Pomona, Cal-Poly Pomona and the University of Redlands, although this coverage has not been as in-depth as the work he plans to do at Oxy. He’s been brought on full-time to document all events on campus or elsewhere that concern the school. This includes alumni events, sporting events, fundraisers and student life in general. While he can often be seen clicking away at school functions, you may have also seen him framing a shot in the library or on the quad.
No stranger to southern California, Campos grew up in Pomona and has lived in Pasadena and Redlands. He attended Chaffey College and Cal-Poly Pomona, where he studied cultural anthropology until an accident forced him to put his education on hold.
“I helped my mother through some health problems, going to work and taking care of her for a few years,” Campos said. “Eventually, I got back on track and began an apprenticeship for a large commercial photographer, which let me into newspapers.”
With the world of photojournalism before him, Campos dove in, working for various papers in the Inland Empire over the course of 11 years. These included Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, San Bernardino County Sun, and the L.A. Times’ Inland Valley Times. He covered everything from immigration, politics, natural disasters and crime scenes to sports, schools and fashion.
“Being on a daily newspaper is a great job, mainly because it’s different everyday and if you do your job right, you can really make a difference. It doesn’t always work out that way, but that’s what we strive for,” Campos said. “I also loved it because I got to meet interesting people I would not have met otherwise and to witness history.”
Before students became his principle subject, Campos’ job took him to many places. He has photographed five different prisons in Mexico, Texas, Montana and Vienna. He’s shot underwater, from a hot air balloon and from World War II-era planes. He has captured Arnold Schwarzenegger, George Bush, the Lakers, boxing, drag-racing and NASCAR on film.
“I’ve also photographed some not-so-fun stuff,” Campos said, “like open-heart surgery, shootings, fires, stabbings, burn victims, AIDS victims, people dying and the dead.”
Campos’ photographs have been distributed by the Associated Press and Sipa and have appeared in U.S. News & World Report, Smithsonian, ESPN: The Magazine and the Advocate. He has been a monthly and year-end contest winner for professional photography associations such as the National Press Photographers Assocation, the Press Photographers Association of Greater Los Angeles, and the Society of Professional Journalists and was the 2008 Joseph Costa Award recipient for courtroom photography.
Outside of professional work, Campos also lists photography as one of his main hobbies and currently has a side project in the works photographing roller derbies. When he isn’t taking pictures, Campos enjoys running, reading, hiking, traveling and gaming on his XBOX 360. Although he loves all food, his favorites are sushi and pizza – just not together.
Campos draws inspiration from various photographers, such as James Nachtwey, Carolyn Cole, Nan Goldin, W. Eugene Smith and Robert Capa.
“I try and keep an open mind about learning and try to absorb as much as I can,” Campos said. He also admires Robert Frank for his series of photographs, “The Americans,” and enjoys Richard Avedon’s series “In the American West.”
“My favorite subject to photograph would be people,” Campos said. “I am not a big fan of landscape photography, although I admire Ansel Adams.”
Campos will have plenty of people to photograph on Oxy’s campus, where many students have already had an encounter with Campos. “Eventually, everyone on campus, including faculty, staff, students and facilities will have seen me at work here, running around with various camera equipment, if I do my job right,” Campos said.
Campos’ days at Oxy vary depending on the events that occur throughout the day, for which Campos remains on-call. He works in the Office of Communications and other departments to cover these events, and has begun work on an archiving system with Marsha Inouye, the Web Content Editor in the Communications department.
“When I saw the position available here at Oxy, I applied right away,” Campos said. “Oxy just felt like the right place for me to be at the moment. I like the location, the campus, the history and what Oxy has to offer.” Campos currently lives in Rancho Cucamonga, but plans on moving closer to Occidental soon.
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