By: Sky Grimes

What drives someone to show up repeatedly, camera in hand, ready to capture both heartbreak and hope? For Mark Bishop, the answer lies in purpose.

After retiring in 2015, Bishop could have chosen a quiet life. Instead, he picked up a camera and started documenting the stories of disaster survivors, devoted volunteers, and communities in crisis. His work has brought humanity to the forefront of emergency response and earned him a recent nomination for Volunteer of the Year for D CEO’s Nonprofit & Corporate Citizenship Awards.

When retirement left Bishop with time to fill, he wasted no time finding purpose.

“I was looking for something meaningful,” Bishop said. “Photography was my first choice—and I found the Red Cross.”

His first outreach was a simple email to Regional Chief Communications Officer Anita Foster. What followed was a decade of dedicated service, deep connection, and impactful storytelling. Though Bishop quips he is “just the guy with the camera,” his work has showcased resilience in times of disaster.

From deployments and capturing interviews to TV appearances and documenting the work of the Red Cross with elected officials, Bishop’s journey has taken him far beyond a typical retirement. Still, he remains humble.

“Honestly, I never felt fully qualified,” he said with a laugh. “But when there was a need, I filled it.”

Ninety-five percent of Bishop’s work focuses on photography—capturing the intensity of disaster response and the stories of those affected. He believes the best photos aren’t about technical perfection but about feeling the moment.

“Catch the photograph, see the emotion, feel the photo. That’s the good stuff,” he said.

His most humbling experiences have come in the aftermath of major disasters.

“You see the worst moments of people’s lives,” Bishop said. “It’s sobering. It could’ve been you. You learn not to take life for granted—and you see how strong people really are.”

Bishop continually urges others to get involved—no matter how small the start.

“Start somewhere. Do something. Just try it,” he said. “We all have time. You just have to want to make time.”

If he could speak to his younger self, his advice would be simple: “Start now. Don’t wait. I wish I had started sooner.”

When Bishop learned of his award nomination from D CEO, his first reaction was disbelief.

“Who is punking me?” he said. “I felt undeserving. There are so many more people who deserve this. But I’m grateful—truly.”

Despite his humility, his impact is undeniable. Bishop offered a simple but powerful statement when asked how he hoped to be remembered: “That I tried. That I was a giver, not a taker.”

“I continue to choose the Red Cross because they are always on—365 days a year,” Bishop said. “Where there is a story, I will show up—camera in hand.”