Built Environment

A profile of Baton Rouge photographer Mark Bienvenu

In photographer Mark Bienvenu’s studio, you’ll find a five-foot-long, solid wood table surrounded by windows. The glare of incoming light on his monitors can cut into the average workday (“I can’t really do much in the middle of the afternoon.”) But he can’t resist the view of where he’d much rather be: outside.

Over the past eight years, Bienvenu has seen a casual hobby morph into a career. He’s seen his favorite Baton Rouge location (downtown) come to life. But for Bienvenu, seeing isn’t enough. With Canon gear in tow and an itch to explore the aesthetic of “manmade meets natural,” he puts landscapes, buildings, and (occasionally) people within a frame—then presses a button and captures.

Of course, that’s just a surface glimpse of Bienvenu’s abilities, which he’s constantly expanding.

“I’ll run into a problem and think, I wish I could do this, then I go searching for a solution and learn a new skill along the way,” said Bienvenu.

His favorite locations to shoot—the Mississippi River bridge and the state Capitol—aren’t likely to evolve at the same pace as Bienvenu’s work, yet he keeps returning to them.

“It forces a degree of creativity,” said Bienvenu. For variety, he turns to long exposure shots, filters, and his own abundant experience.  “The more you do it, the more you get a feel for it,” he said.

Sometimes the perfect shot arrives on its own—whether it’s a spectacular sunset, unusual clouds, or some new development downtown. Bienvenu doesn’t leave his art to chance, though: “There’s a certain level of skill and knowledge that goes along with being in the right place at the right time.”