TCF Ep. 648 - Mark Comon

The Candid Frame: Conversations on Photography

Ibarionex R. Perello

Arts, Visual Arts

4.8 • 768 Ratings

🗓️ 18 October 2025

⏱️ 62 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

When photographer and educator Mark Comon talks about photography, his passion is unmistakable. As the owner of Paul's Photo in Torrance, California, and founder of the Creative Photo Academy, Mark has spent decades helping photographers at every level discover their creative potential. Through economic downturns, digital revolutions, and even the pandemic, he has kept Paul's Photo thriving—one of the rare family-owned camera stores to endure and grow in an industry transformed by change. Mark's philosophy is rooted in community and education. He believes that photography flourishes when people learn, share, and make images together. Whether teaching composition, lighting, or visual storytelling, he focuses on empowering others to connect with their subjects and themselves. His enduring dedication to the photographic community has made Paul's Photo and Creative Photo Academy not just places to buy gear, but true centers for inspiration and learning. Resources: Mark Comon Paul's Photo Creative Photo Academy Altadena Photographers https://www.altadenaphotographers.org/ Support Ibarionex & The Candid Frame GoFundMe BuyMeaCoffee eBook Purchases Websites The Candid Frame Patreon Page The Candid Frame PayPal Contribution Link Signed Editions of "Making Photographs: Developing a Personal Visual Workflow." Sponsors Charcoal Book Club https://charcoalbookclub.com Frames Magazine FRAMES Magazine | Because Excellent Photography Belongs On Paper (readframes.com) Education Resources: Momenta Photographic Workshops https://momentaworkshops.com/workshops/ Candid Frame Resources The Candid Frame Newsletter & Substack Blog The Candid Frame Alexa Skill Making Photographs: Developing a Personal Visual Workflow The Candid Frame Flickr Pool The Candid Frame YouTube Channel Contribute a one-time donation to the show thru Buy Me a Coffee https://buymeacoffee.com/thecandidframe Support the work at The Candid Frame by contributing to our Patreon effort. You can do this by visiting patreon.com/thecandidframe or the website and clicking on the Patreon button. You can also provide a one-time donation via PayPal. You can follow Ibarionex on Instagram and Twitter.

Transcript

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0:00.0	At a time when many independently owned camera stores have vanished, Paul's photo in Torrance, California, has continued to thrive.
0:24.6	Thanks in large part to photographer and educator Mark Common. For decades, Mark has helped photographers grow, not just through gear, but through community, education, and vision.
0:33.6	As the second-generation leader of his family's business, he's guided it through economic
0:38.7	downturns, the rise of online sales, and the challenges of the pandemic.
0:44.1	I've known Mark since my early days at Nikon, and I've always admired his passion for helping
0:49.9	others see. In this episode, we talk about the legacy of Paul's photo, the value of in-person learning,
0:56.5	and what it takes to keep a creative community alive in a digital world. This is Eibody and X,
1:03.7	and welcome back to The Candid Frame. I'm glad we reconnected because you were one of the first people I got to meet outside of Nikon when they started working there back in, I think it was 91 or 92.
1:24.7	You and your dad at the store because I think Mike Pliskin took me.
1:29.1	Right.
1:29.5	Took me over there.
1:30.7	Yep.
1:31.0	Yep.
1:31.4	And that's how I got a chance to meet you.
1:33.4	I'd pop in every once in a while.
1:35.4	But I was always, I've been, I always liked you and your dad.
1:40.7	And, but as, you know, the photo industry has changed over these many years, I was always really impressed by what you guys did there.
1:49.9	Absolutely with all the changes, because, you know, I remember up in here in Pasadena, we had at least four or five different camera stores at one point.
1:58.9	And now it's just, now it's just sammy's and that you know that was the case
2:02.7	not only in southern california but all over the place and uh it's all over the world even
2:07.7	re-enaxson so i'm part of a of a camera store owners group we have been my dad started 30 years
2:14.0	ago with the group and at the peak there were 500 camera stores in the U.S.
	...

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