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Biography

I'm Mark Poff. I'm a 3 time Emmy Award winning photojournalist. I majored in photography at Virginia Intermont College. I began my career in 1991 covering the FMLN Revolution in El Salvador with a 35mm film camera. I then transitioned into video photojournalism in 1992 and have more than thirty years experience working in local television shooting news stories for the 6 and 11pm newscasts. The majority of my career has been at WLOS-TV in Asheville covering all the western NC counties. Recording video of everything from crimes scenes to sporting events (NASCAR being my favorite) …If it happened in WNC and you saw it on TV, it was probably my video. When Western Carolina University offered me the opportunity to bring my expertise and experience from the newsroom to the classroom, I could not resist.

Education

• CERT, Appalachian State University
• BA, Virginia Intermont College

Teaching Interests

I have a passion for NPPA Style video storytelling (National Press Photographer's Assoc.) I love teaching photography, videography, filmmaking, and anything associated with movies and moving pictures. I think of cameras as toys, not as tools…because they are fun. And I've found that I have more fun teaching people how to play with those toys than I do playing with them myself.

Research Interests

Being from the region, Appalachian Culture (especially it's music), the history/mystery and photography of George Masa, and the GSMNP reintroduction of Elk have repeatedly been the focus of my lens.