Why Mark Harless (bleeblu) Hurt Me and Is Hurting Other Young Girls
I met Mark in 2013 when I decided to tag along for a Huntsville shoot with a mutual friend. I had been a fan of his earlier works, which creatively explored horror and beauty as complementary concepts. I found these works to be more introspective, and less “exploitative for the sake of shock value.” I expected less vulgarity and more maturity and professionalism from the 27-year-old photographer whose work I initially admired. I did three of my first photoshoots with him before I pinned down what, exactly, it was about him that made me uncomfortable. Before I continue, I want to note Alabama’s law regarding public nudity and the definition of coercion: “ALABAMA* Section 13A-12-130 – Public lewdness. (a) A person commits the crime of public lewdness if: (1) He exposes his anus or genitals in a public place and is reckless about whether another may be present who will be offended or alarmed by his act; or (2) He does any lewd act in a public place which he knows is likely to be observed by others who would be affronted or alarmed. (b) Public lewdness is a Class C misdemeanor.” Coercion is legally defined as “intimidation of a victim to compel the individual to do some act against his or her will by the use of psychological pressure, physical force, or threats.”
A few months after shadowing the Huntsville shoot, he convinced me to shoot with him in what would be my first photo shoot as the subject. As someone with more experience and comfort behind the camera as opposed to in front of it, I had no idea what to expect, and I was scared/nervous. I was asked to pose naked, which I was hesitant to do, because girls are criticized by everything we do or don’t do. Posing nude is definitely not easy, especially if you could get in trouble with an employer, friends, or family if your identity is linked. I was an insecure and naive 19-year-old fangirl, and he was a 27-year-old experienced and popular photographer. This dynamic made me easy to persuade despite my apprehension. Despite the fact that he was aware of my discomfort, he made little effort to minimize it. He didn’t even tell me that he would have another male present to assist him until I got there. Two strange men would be staring at me in my most vulnerable state. The shoot was later entitled “fabrica spectra.” This is also the only shoot I signed a media release form for.
Fast forward to a colder season, and I agreed to try “modeling” a second time. I live about to two hours away, so I was expecting this shoot to be worth the early morning adventure. We arrived at the Walls of Jericho, only to find it covered in snow flurries. I was unprepared, so the cold made me shiver. After about 30 minutes of exploration, we found a river. This river was close enough to the road to be seen by passing cars, but Mark didn’t seem to care that it might not be an acceptable location to do a nude shoot. He wanted me to lie down in the freezing river with nothing on. We never even discussed nudity for this shoot. I didn’t want to do this: the water was freezing, and we were in a location where people could see me from the road. Again, he didn’t care: “Just do it. Hurry up. Let’s go. C’mon.” He coerced me into compliance by way of harassment, and my body language in the pictures reflect my discomfort. A photo from that day is below (and notice how red my hands and legs are.)
The final strike was when he and his girlfriend at the time came to visit Birmingham. It was warmer now, and Mark wanted to take pictures of both of us outside. I felt more comfortable because another female was involved. But, when they arrived at my apartment, Mark entered my room, continuously questioned how many guys I’d slept with, and bragged about how many girls he’d slept with…while his girlfriend was in the other room. Mark and I were never good enough friends for this ever be appropriate, and this was not the first time he asked me about my sex life. I tried to forget about this, and we went to the Botanical Gardens.
Going back to the final shoot, we arrived at the local Botanical Gardens around midday. Now, this is a family-oriented facility open to the public and a common location for photographers and their clients. This is in no way a suitable place to take nude photos. But again Mark didn’t seem to care. He wanted nude photos, despite my and his girlfriend’s protests. He was rude and irritable the entire time, taunting his girlfriend and I. “Just do it. Hurry up. Let’s go. C’mon. Don’t be a baby.” At one point, we were almost caught by a guard patrolling the area. Below is a photo from that day, edited for censorship.
Mark pressured me in an uncomfortable situation, on multiple accounts, where I could have been charged with Public Lewdness. He did not care about my well-being and safety, even after I expressed my concerns. He cared about himself.
Coercion is when you are nonviolently forced into doing something you don’t feel comfortable with, either by way of threat or harassment. That’s what he did. It happens all of the time, and it’s really dangerous because people think "well, if you did it, that’s the end.” But, if you harass someone into doing something they don’t want to do, or shame them, that’s coercion. Mark and I had an imbalanced power dynamic. He is older, established, and very well known. Back then, I was young, naive, and inexperienced. This created a situation in which I felt pressured to do something I didn’t want to do because I didn’t feel comfortable enough saying no. The worst thing is, I’m not the only victim of Mark’s behavior, yet the other girls I spoke to are afraid to speak out.
Mark has around 40,000 followers on Instagram, alone. He gets messages, comments, and follows from hundreds of girls, and many of them are underaged. A person with his reach has the power to exploit people without retribution by virtue of influence alone. His influence/following can actively silence any model who might express discomfort with his behavior–after all, if he’s had this many girls pose for him, and he has all of these followers, how bad could he possibly be?
For over a year of silence, I’ve actively tried to suppress how ashamed Mark made me feel. I have watched him go forth with his facade, and watched more young girls be persuaded the way I was. But today, I managed the chutzpah to tell my story because this lies within a deeper issue beyond anything personal, this is about justice. I believe it is important to warn girls of these talented, yet manipulative people. As Grove’s Law continues to apply, and more freelance photographers enter the market, more of our girls are being subjected to this kind of unprofessionalism, especially with nude photography.
My response to Mark’s public acknowledgement and refusal to accept responsibility to my valid accusations. Mark Using Homophic Slurs, Body Shaming, and Joking About Physically Assaulting Me
***MAY 11,TH 2016*** Links to evidence is all updated now.