When photographer and WOTSO Manly member Mark Bond came to Australia in 2013 after building a vibrant career in the London media, it was a challenging time.
All the money was heading online and there weren’t the same opportunities as in the UK, so it was a hard prompt to change tack and try something different – and unexpectedly challenging.
Wedding photography. “I followed up an advert on LinkedIn to be a wedding photographer and I thought, ‘I can do that with all my years of experience’,” says Mark.
“But I don’t think I’ve ever done anything in photography that was as hard as that, it was massively challenging.
“The first wedding I shot was a Lebanese wedding with all the drums and indoor fireworks and it was just so exciting. I’d never experienced anything like that.”
He freelanced for a while before setting up his own business specialising in wedding photos.
“Then I did a marketing course at Basic Bananas to learn how to market my wedding business but what I realised by doing that was there are lots of businesses that need professional photography”, he says.
“I started doing headshots, pictures for people’s websites, talking head videos and that really took off.
“Most of my work now is helping businesses with the pictures they need to promote themselves – that’s what I do.”
As business expanded, Mark took an office/studio at the original WOTSO Manly site in 2019.
Owned by Royal Far West, that beachfront building was shuttered for development two years ago, resulting in WOTSO’s move to new digs at the Artillery Barracks precinct in nearby North Head.
It is an incredible site, combining former military buildings with open space and beautiful grounds, surrounded by stunning coastal bush and water.
Built in 1936, and loaded with art deco detail, WOTSO’s flexible workspace occupies two buildings that for decades operated as the Officer’s Mess.
Mark says North Head exudes calm and the mix of bush and history makes it a special place.
“I’m someone who very much likes being in nature,” Mark says. “Here I can do my work and then go clear my head. I step out the door and I’m in the middle of the National Park.
“Within 10 minutes, I’ve got a view over the city – it’s probably one of the nicest nature walks in Sydney.
“And it’s just five minutes from my home in Manly. There’s loads of space, great people and plenty of parking – I love it.”
Site manager Thiele Mallmann says WOTSO Manly has a broad mix of small business clients – everything from an interior designer to a martial arts instructor – and a friendly, productive vibe with 36 coworking spaces and more than 30 offices.
She says there is space available, and all enquiries should be directed to manly@wotso.com.
