Mark Laita is a 64 year-old American photographer and filmmaker born in 1960 and is famous for his YouTube channel, Soft White Underbelly, where he features interviews with people in society like chronic drug users, sex workers, destitute, gang members, runaways, sick and poor people.
Mark Laita’s works are unique, and over the years, they have intrigued his fans, drawing them to his YouTube channel, which has over 4.8 million subscribers. For one with such a popular channel, Laita leads a private life, and very little is known about him. We will be revealing all about the “voice of the invisible” photographer below.
Summary of Mark Laita’s Bio
- Full name: Mark Laita
- Gender: Male
- Date of birth: 1960
- Mark Laita’s Age: 64 years old
- Place of Birth: Detroit
- Ethnicity: Mixed
- Nationality: American
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
- Religion: Christianity
- Marital Status: Married
- Mark Laita’s Children: Alex Laita and Amanda Olivia Laita
- Mark Laita’s Height in Inches: 5 feet 7 inches
- Mark Laita’s Height in Centimeters: 170 cm
- Education: Columbia College, University of Illinois, Chicago
- Profession: Still-life photographer, writer, and filmmaker
- Famous for: Being the owner of Soft White Underbelly
- Mark Laita’s Net Worth: $1 million
- Mark Laita’s Instagram: @mark-laita
What is Mark Laita’s Age?
Mark Laita is 64 years old. He was born in 1960, although he has never revealed his exact date of birth. Additionally, he has never revealed the identities of his parents, although we found pictures of them on his Instagram page.
Mark Laita was born in Detroit and spent his early years in Detroit and Chicago. He attended a local high school, after which he got admitted into the University of Illinois, Chicago.
Mark Laita’s Family
Mark Laita does not talk much about his biological family. He has never disclosed the identities of his parents, nor has he ever revealed if he has any siblings. However, there are pictures of his parents dating years back on his Instagram account.
Laita is a married man, but he has successfully kept his wife away from the media. We could not verify information about her name, profession, or how long they’ve been married. We can confirm, however, that the couple has two daughters named Alex and Olivia.
Who is Mark Laita’s Wife?
Mark Laita is yet to reveal the identity of his wife. He is allegedly married with two daughters, but personal details about his wife remain hidden. He does not talk about her nor post pictures of her across his social media accounts.
Does Mark Laita Have a Daughter?
Mark Laita has two daughters; the oldest is Alex Laita, and the youngest is Olivia Laita. Laita has not revealed any information concerning his daughters’ age or the educational institutions they attended.
The girls also do not have any active social media accounts, so we could not keep up with their activities. However, going with the few pictures of them on his Instagram page, it is safe to assume that the girls are probably adults now or in their late teens.
What Does Mark Laita Do for a Living?
Mark Laita is a still-life photographer, filmmaker, and YouTuber. He has consistently built a successful career for himself over the years, and his works are now popular globally. Keep reading to get a detailed summary of Laita’s professional ventures.
He Started Photography at the Age of 14
Mark Laita’s passion for photography started when he was just a child, and at the age of 14, he began to take pictures of homeless people in Chicago, where he grew up. After he graduated from high school, Laita enrolled in Columbia College and also studied at the University of Illinois, Chicago, where he earned a degree in Photography.
Many Popular Brands Have Used His Pictures
Mark Laita does still-life photography, which is a unique form of photography. His pictures gained much attention, and he has hosted several exhibitions for them across the United States of America and Europe. Because of the uniqueness and popularity of his pictures, many famous brands have used them for their advertisements. These brands include Apple, Adidas, and Sony. He has also worked with brands like IBM, BMW, Van Cleef, and many others.
In the course of his career as a photographer, Soft White Underbelly Mark Laita created a visual catalog of America titled Created Equal. The catalog took him a decade to complete, and he had to visit 48 states of the United States to take pictures of people of different careers, including Amish people, nuns, cowboys, repo men, astronauts, ballerinas, etc.
Mark Laita has a Popular YouTube Channel
In addition to his successful photography career, Laita also has a YouTube Channel, Soft White Underbelly, where he has over 4 million subscribers. The channel features interviews Laita holds with the “forgotten” members of society, like sex workers, gang members, or people whose lives are just odd, like America’s most inbred family, the Whittakers, whom Laita thinks deserve to be seen and heard.
He was Accused of Scam and Exploitation
The popularity and success of Soft White Underbelly Mark Laita were threatened in 2020 when he interviewed Kelly, a 21-year-old sex worker. Kelly told a sad story of how she was sexually abused as a child and also pimped out as a teenager. Her story evoked lots of emotions amongst viewers, and they began to seek for means of donating to Kelly.
At the time of the interview, Soft White Underbelly Mark Laita had only 3,000 subscribers to his YouTube channel, but the number soon skyrocketed. A GoFundMe was set up to support Kelly, with a goal of 5,000, which was soon surpassed, totaling $9,000.
Despite the success of Kelly’s case, many soon began probing Laita’s method of interview, and he was accused of exploiting his guests and asking inappropriate questions. Further investigation also showed that Laita allegedly picked and groomed Kelly for the project and that she was not as innocent as she proclaimed. In his defense, Laita claimed that he was just a guy with a camera seeking to make the world better.
Mark Laita’s Books
Mark Laita is also an author and has successfully written three books. His books can be found on Amazon, and they go by the following titles:
- Created Equal 2008
- Sea 2011
- Serpentine 2012
What is Mark Laita’s Net Worth?
Soft White Underbelly Mark Laita has an estimated net worth of $1 million, and the major part of this sum comes from his income as a skilled photographer. Mark’s pictures are unique and popular, and several brands and advertisements have used them over the years. The brands that have used Laita’s pictures include Adidas, Sony, and Nike, and going with the global popularity of these brands, we can safely assume that Laita was handsomely paid.
Laita also earns money through his YouTube Channel, Soft White UnderBelly, where he interviews those considered not well-off in society. The channel currently has over 4 million subscribers who regularly watch the unique content Laita puts out.
