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.
Client Testimonial
"We traveled to Alaska, in the dead of winter, to do a shoot for a new, women's winter boot brand--it was minus 5, with a 20 mph wind, and Michael and Lauri, and the models, nestled into an amazing glacial ice formation and proceeded to capture amazing images.
And somehow, Michael always seems to get the greatest light for his shots. Take a look at his website and you'll come to the same conclusion.
Michael is by far one of the best in the industry. He takes creative direction with ease, is timely, conceptual, and very knowledgeable with regard to shoot locations, intent, and deliverables."
- Brian Scranton, Managing Director at GrahamSpencer West (formerly Director of Marketing at Chaco, Inc.)
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 scout. He is perfectly comfortable in uncomfortable environments and in dealing with harsh conditions. He is a team player and collaborator but is perfectly at home working unsupervised with a simple creative brief. 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's "studio" is the great outdoors. One of his specialties is seamlessly blending artificial and natural lighting. 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."
He produces digital photography for advertising, corporate, and editorial clients. His photography and images appear in many national level publications, calendars, cards, catalogs, books, travel and visitor guides as well as corporate reports and advertising including, but not limited to:
To see Michael's body of adventure photography, check out his adventure photographer portfolio.