Michael DeYoung began his photography career as a nature and wildlife photographer. Over 15 years ago he transitioned into the commercial lifestyle photography specializing in adventure, fitness, lifestyle, travel and tourism photography. Shooting on location for clients, Michael DeYoung Photography specializes in creating imagery for corporate, advertising, and editorial uses especially for the outdoor gear manufacturing, health and fitness, travel and tourism, and renewable energy industries.
Passionate about the outdoor experience, Michael brings a sense of authenticity often from a participants'; point of view to his adventure, fitness and lifestyle imagery.
Michael brings a broad and diverse range of creative, technical, and outdoor skills to his commercial work. He has a vast working knowledge of the West's and North's geography, weather patterns, and outdoor culture to the degree one would expect from a location photographer. He is perfectly comfortable in uncomfortable environments and in dealing with harsh conditions.
Michael DeYoung Photography launched in Alaska in 1992 after having moved there in late 1988. After 12 years with the Air Force as a meteorologist and while working as a commercial photographer, Michael transferred to the Alaska Air National Guard and served as a photojournalist in the Public Affairs department where he photographed many assignments ranging from PJs from the 210th Rescue Squadron on training missions, commander portraits, congressional delegation and other VIP events. He retired from the Alaska Air National Guard in 2001.
In 2006, Michael DeYoung Photography moved from Eagle River, Alaska south - and up - to an altitude of 7,400 feet just outside the adventure and ski town of Taos in Northern New Mexico. It is here where he bases most of his outdoor adventure, fitness, and travel lifestyle photo shoots while still traveling to nearby states and to Alaska for assignment work and personal projects.
One advantage to being a Northern New Mexico photographer is the close proximity to several creative centers - Santa Fe, Albuquerque, and Denver. Being close to these locations also gives us the advantage to plan our shoots with a variety of climates and locations to choose from ... all within easy reach!
As an Alaskan photographer with nearly 20 years of experience in Alaska alone, he built a vast and diverse body of commercial adventure, lifestyle, fitness and travel and tourism work statewide which helped him land several major tourism assignments with the Alaska Travel Industry Association and the Anchorage Convention & Visitors Bureau to promote Alaska as a premier vacation destination.
Michael's "studio" is the great outdoors. Using his experience as a former meteorologist for US Air Force and Army pilots, he often analyzes NOAA weather forecasting models and satellite imagery to determine when the environmental conditions are best for a given photo project.
One of his specialties is seamlessly blending artificial and natural lighting - especially on location. He thrives on getting portable, studio-quality lighting into remote and beautiful locations. Simply put, he creates imagery that makes the viewer want to "be there" or "do that."
The lighting in his imagery is easily one of its most distinctive characteristics. The vividly colored landscapes add a depth missing in much of outdoor location photography.
As an adventure photographer, Michael focuses his photography on his passion for core outdoor adventure and mountain sports that are accessible to everyday people including:
Michael uses nearly all "real people" talent in his shoots - i.e. everyday people who actively participate in and are proficient at one or more adventure sport or fitness activities we shoot - capturing both portraits of the individuals and the people in their environment.
As a fitness photographer, Michael creates images that focus on core fitness activities like yoga, trail running, and snowshoeing frequently incorporating rich, beautiful scenery to the background to give the image a motivating and inspirational quality.
The crisp, vivid colors and simplicity in his imagery are part of why Digital Photo Pro magazine named Michael as the "Master of Outdoor Lifestyle" Photographer.
As a travel and tourism photographer, Michael specializes in creating captivating imagery from the little details to the big picture that inspires the viewer to want to travel to the location and experience it for themselves.
As a very experienced advertising photographer, Michael is a team player and collaborator, working with both the client and art director on site, as well as being perfectly comfortable working with a simple creative brief when the client and/or art director cannot be on site. His images have been used on a variety of web sites, catalog, magazines, billboards, trade show displays, and busses to advertise for clients like Alaska Travel Industry Association, Anchorage Convention & Visitor's Bureau, Holland America Line, Chaco, The Territory Ahead, and Coldwater Creek.
As a corporate photographer, Michael has shot campaigns for employee recruitment, annual reports, company web sites, and other marketing collateral for luxury remote lodges to industrial facilities.
Corporate photography is made on location at your facility so that you, your co-workers, and/or employees don't disrupt their workday to make a trip to a studio. Most of a corporate photo shoot would involve only our crew: analyzing the location, setting up and working out the lighting, breaking down the equipment, etc. This way we minimize the amount of disruption to the client.
Corporate portraits take about 15 minutes for each person needing to be photographed. We strive to create portraits in a fun and creative environment to bring out the individual1s personality. It is all done at your location usually in a conference room or using a business or natural environment as the background. No studio back drops would be used unless requested by the client.
Michael enjoys illustrating stories particularly involving outdoor adventure, fitness, and destination travel. His photography has been featured recently in Alaska, Alaska Airlines, Backpacker, Canoe & Kayak, and Trail Runner magazines to name a few.
Michael DeYoung Photography's home office is a completely sustainable structure powered 100% by solar energy and uses zero fossil fuels for space heat. With this direct experience, he has the unique ability to be able to bring a sense of passion and customer-side perspective to corporate work especially in the renewable energy industry.
He is also emerging as a workshop instructor teaching many aspects of outdoor digital imagery from learning to see more creatively to wireless lighting techniques. A schedule of his photography workshops can be found on his photography workshop schedule.
In the meantime, do you want tips on photography and insights on how to shoot in the great outdoors? Check out Michael's adventure photographer blog.
Thank you for your interest in Michael DeYoung Photography. His photography and images appear in many national level publications, calendars, cards, catalogs, books, travel and tourism visitor guides as well as corporate reports and advertising.
To see Michael's body of adventure, fitness, and lifestyle photography, please visit his adventure lifestyle photographer portfolio - assignment photography for advertising, editorial, and corporate clients.