Michael is currently based out of Boulder, CO, where he loves to backpack, fly-fish, mountain bike, telemark ski, and work on freelance photo and film projects. He also has a full time 'real job' in the renewable energy/solar field.

Like any good photographer, he takes his camera with him wherever he goes, whether on a five day backpacking trip or a trip across town, ready for whatever photogrraphs may present themselves at all times. Meanwhile, it is an educational process always, so you can find Michael learning and constantly experimenting with ideas, filters, locations, and back in the office with digital imaging techniques in Photoshop, etc.

Michael is a native of Montana, and grew up in the mountains, valleys, and rivers of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. These early definitive years of tromping around in the mountains with his family were instrumental in bringing a profound recognition of the power inherent in nature, and along with this came a natural and real hunger to explore this natural world in many ways.

How did this passion with photography and visual media all begin?

Michael got started in photography when his sister sold him her Pentax ME Super, a camera he used until joining the Canon 35mm digital world he now works in in 2003. By the time he entered Humboldt State University in Northern California in 1988, Michael knew that photography was more than just a hobby. He worked photography into his college degree as an important component of his career path and vision.

In 1992, Michael graduated with a BS in Natural Resources and Environmental Communications, which was a self created major that combined natural science core classes with an emphasis on a photography and journalism curriculum.

In 1993, Michael was living in Crested Butte, Colorado, and by sort of a 'why not'?' chance, began teaching photography workshops for the Crested Butte Wildflower Festival, which he has continued to do every July since then for the past 14 seasons.

Teaching 'in the field' photography workshops has become a favorite avenue of expression for Michael, and he firmly believes that a good teacher is always learning from their students. This brings humility to his teaching, and allows his workshop participants to authentically open up their own inner artistic vision and photographic potential. Michael has also taught successful seasonal field workshops for Colorado Free University based in Denver, CO.

Michael will glady book and lead professional and dynamic individual or group workshops, which are almost always "In The Field" unless requested otherwise (see Workshops on my website for more information.)

In Crested Butte, Michael joined an Artist coop and sold a framed photograph that convinced him that making money on photography was a good idea! Over the next few years, his work could be found in other art galleries in Crested Butte, and in privately owned collections adorning a few hotels and inns in Crested Butte.

In 1997, Michael found himself in a partnership with the Crested Butte Land Trust as a Co-founder of the Crested Butte Scenic Calendar. In its first year, 1998, the calendar represented several Crested Butte photographers and was quite successful in raising money for the CBLT. This high quality fine art calendar continues to this day to raise funds for the Crested Butte Land Trust, and to showcase emerging and seasoned regional photographers, as well as local poetry!

Over the course of his fifteen-year career, Michael has traveled and photographed in Alaska, New Zealand, Costa Rica, and all throughout the western US in hundreds of locations. Michael now spends a significant part of his summers shooting weddings and sporting events, and has dreams of working as an expedition photographer and video documentary filmmaker.

Digital photography has also allowed Michael to teach himself new techniques and see the results instantly, and this he feels that he has actually become a much better photographer because of digital, as do many of his contemporaries.

How Did I get Interested in Film?

In 2000, I worked as a volunteer at the Mountainfilm Festival in Telluride, Colorado, and this jumpstarted a particular love, fascination, and professional interest in documentary film-making, which I continues to pursue to this day, using my aesthetic background in photography to lend a unique vision and angle to my efforts. I began working as a 3 chip digital camera videographer for alldigitalweddings.com in 2002, and I estimate I have shot, edited, and produced over 25 weddings at this time.

I am availble for any video/filme realted adventure you wnat to have, with a special emphasisi on nature or social documentaries. I will be the camerman that never complains and also lend a great deal of experience and creativity to your vision and production.

 

I currently shoot with the wonderful Canon 10D, a super versatile Tamron 28-300mm Ultra Zoom XR f/3.5-6.3 LD Aspherical (IF) Macro lens, and a Sigma 15-30mm F/3.5-4.5 DG Aspherical lens. This ultra-wide lens in particular has allowed me to go in very exciting and rewarding new directions with composition and creativity. Next on the list: a 100mm or greater true Macro lens.