Born and raised in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, Marcus Jay King is a photographer and director whose work embraces creativity, technology, culture and future trends. Whether it’s portraiture of people, products and places or capturing unscripted, real-time live events, my visual signature uses intentional shadows and highlights that add a sense of drama to an image for a more authentic and natural look.

I’m a Certified Professional Photographer and a proud member of the Professional Photographers of America (PPA). As a  dependable and creative professional who consistently delivers high quality work, I’ve worked more than 10 years in photography, have an additional seven years work experience in the advertising, design, marketing and journalism fields and apply the knowledge that I’ve gained in those areas in everything that I do.. My journey has always involved treating everyone with the same approach so that they feel respected and important as part of a safe and collaborative work environment.

“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. “

— Maya Angelou

Both of my parents were public school educators. My career began with them telling me one summer to get off my skateboard, get out of my comfort zone and learn photography from our neighbor, Sam Hughes, a teacher and also small business owner of the island’s first film developing service and portrait photography studio. I attended Florida A&M University and earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism that included studying photography. That time included using my first camera, a 1980 Miranda MS-1. Given to me by my parents, that camera sits on my desk as a reminder of the humble start of my career. Five years into working professionally, I returned home and shared a portfolio of work with Mr. Hughes. During that 2005 visit, he told me, “Marcus, usually when people bring me these types of things, it's not worth my time. You've exceeded everything I've tried to do in my lifetime. Go find people and companies that value what you do.”

I’ve been fortunate enough to shoot a diverse body of work that includes fashion, promotional images for reggae band Third World, lifestyle and corporate executive portraits, luxury real estate, colleges, universities and a wide range of consumer product goods.

My love for photography and creative sense of lighting live with me every day. Most people who have worked with me describe me as having a warm personality, great attention to detail, easy to work with, a team player who supports the team, acts with empathy, always brings my authentic positivity to work and fiercely pursues excellence in a respectful manner.