Mark McKenna teaches Photojournalism, Advanced Photojournalism, Video Production, Advanced Video Production and Introduction to Journalism Tools courses. He is a practicing professional photojournalist whose work appears in the San Francisco Chronicle, The Oakland Tribune and The San Mateo Daily Times. He is the owner of Eureka-based MMPhotographic and owns a graphic design studio in Old Town Eureka.

His students benefit greatly from his professional experiences, including working alongside McKenna as freelance photographers covering Black Lives Matter and Me Too movement events and protests.

McKenna's interest in photography kindled when he completed the photography merit badge in Boy Scouts and got his first taste of the darkroom. In high school, McKenna joined the staff of the Eureka High School newspaper The Redwood Bark as a way to photograph bands and get into shows for free. At that time he got his first SLR, a Pentax K1000, which he still owns.

McKenna graduated San Francisco State University in 2000 with a journalism degree.