By Jim Colton
For those of us who are diminutive in stature -- I am but five feet five inches tall -- we have a common unspoken bond with others possessing ED (Elevation Deficiency) I was always FIRST in line in public school as they entered the auditorium for assembly in size order. It was always me and Bonnie Bruman…the two shortest kids in the school.
And I was always LAST to be picked on a team for any sporting event. But that stopped happening once they saw me play. As a teen…I was a jock…I admit it….but as a small teen, I had to run faster, shoot better, jump higher…just to keep up with the bigger guys….which I did. Even at my limited size, I could dunk a tennis ball on a regulation basketball court. (That’s ten feet high for those who don’t know)
In many ways, that first rejection may be hurtful, but it drives you…and makes you work harder. And the redemption is even sweeter when people realize it and say, “Hey, that guy is good!” Such is the case with photographerMarco Grob.
As a teenager, Marco was rejected while applying for photography at a University in Switzerland. And today, he is one of the most sought after portrait photographers in the business. But he is not bitter. On the contrary, he considers himself blessed. Commenting on being invited to be an instructor at the Eddie Adams Workshop this past year, he said, “After not being allowed to be a student in my homeland Switzerland - I was asked to be a teacher in my new home, the US…something that went full circle…which I consider wonderful!”
His credentials are impeccable. His numerous awards include an EMMY for his work in TIMEMagazine’s “Beyond 9/11: Portraits of Resilience,” which is also now part of both the Smithsonian Museum's and the National 9/11 Memorial's permanent collections; as well as recognition by POYi, the Swiss, German and American Art Directors Club and the prestigious Hasselblad Master in 2007.
TIME Magazine’s Director of Photography, Kira Pollack says about Grob, “Commissioning Marco to make a portrait is like knowing you will hit the bulls-eye before it happens. His elegant eye paired with his technical wizardry has yielded some of the greatest portraits for TIME since I joined in 2010. From Lady Gaga to Steve Jobs to President Bush to Hilary Clinton, Marco has proved himself across all different subjects and degrees of difficulty. He is a true pleasure to work with and he sets the bar high.”
This week, we have a conversation with the very talented and extremely personable Marco Grob.
Read the interview here: https://nppa.org/page/marco-grob-rejection-redemption