Hello, and thank you for stopping by! My name is Michael, and I am an award winning, internationally published photographer based in North Carolina, with over 15 years of experience photographing landscapes, portraiture, concerts and Broadway, and anything else that catches my eye while on the road or in my own backyard.
I grew up in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains, always hiking and appreciating the beauty around me. I remember my father always having a camera on him and taking photos of my brother and I.
In my early twenties, I moved to beautiful central North Carolina. As much as I love traveling abroad, I also enjoy the beauty of hiking the Blue Ridge Parkway and visiting our small mountain towns in the west, and spending weekends on our beautiful beaches and islands in the east.
I feel truly lucky to live in such a beautiful state, and because of that, I always have my camera on me.
A little about what I do:
Landscape and Wildlife
I love nature and wildlife! I love the sights, the sounds, and watching the early morning, or late evening light paint the landscapes around me on while on a hike or drive. A connection with nature and the wildlife around me is something I hold dear, and I love capturing that with my camera!
Portraiture
I love portraiture work. I love it because I appreciate connecting with people and creating, be it a family session or one-on-one. I've made a lot of great friends and connections through portraiture work and photographed many different type of fun themes, from basic shots at the park, to fantasy and horror themed portraits.
Commissioned Work
I also take on personal clients and businesses who commission me to travel locally, or abroad, to capture specific fine art landscape/landmark images for their businesses, or personal collections. If you would like specific images captured of any region here in the US, or internationally, I'd love to speak with you! Let's capture some one of a kind, fine art prints that would be exclusive to you, or your business!
Weddings and Events
I love making connections with people! Weddings and events is a great way of doing that. I really enjoy being involved with festive corporate events, or a couple's big day! I've photographed many types of events and weddings, from local sporting and ballroom events, to charity gala events for Ghana in South Africa, to Hindu and traditional wedding ceremonies.
Concerts and Broadway
As house photographer for The Durham Performing Arts Center, which is consistently named one of the top rated venues in the nation, I create photo and video content for their social media and website. I have photographed/worked with several acts, musicians, comedians, and performers there throughout the years, such as Cirque du Soleil, Mills Entertainment, Next Stop Broadway, Triangle Rising Stars, John Cleese, Ringo Starr, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Aretha Franklin, Roger Waters, Shane Gillis, Rodney Carrington, Jordan Peterson, John Mellencamp, Mitski, Tony Bennet, Lindsay Sterling, and many more.
Working with Organizations and Charities
I've worked with disaster relief organizations, such as Global Empowerment Mission, to help document and bring awareness to natural disasters in order to help gather funding for relief efforts. I'm also a fan of local charities and animal shelters, and host "family day" events where I offer family portrait sessions in exchange for donations to the specified, and researched, shelter or charity for that day.
Prints
For me, there's something special about printing images. Something tangible that I can hold, study, and hang up as opposed to something that just eventually lives on a backup drive. Printing is an art form altogether, with it's different types of paper, textures, and framings.
If you have any questions about purchasing a print, the types of high-quality paper that you can choose from, or custom orders, please let me know! Please note that some of the images do not have the option to purchase a print due to the aspect ratio. These are special orders that you can message me directly about in order to custom make your print! Thank you!
Workshops\Training
I love talking shop! I have one-on-one lessons available via on-line meeting, or in-person training, to where we can go over anything that you may be having trouble grasping, or just general questions about lighting, composition, capturing fast action, or most anything else that you need a helping hand on. These occur in on hour blocks.
I also love speaking to groups of fellow photographers about anything they may need help with in workshop environments! I like to keep the groups at around 10 people or under to make sure everyone gets the attention they need. If you have a small photo related event you'd like me to speak at, or local camera club, I'd be happy to do so!
Message me for pricing and details!
Partners and Affiliate Programs
I've partnered up with and work along side many great companies! I believe in their visions, happily use their products, and have written several photography articles and blog posts for them. I sincerely enjoy my relationship with these affiliates! If you have any questions about any of these products or services, I can certainly answer them!
My affiliate links and partners below:
Skylum's Luminar Neo Editing Software
Think Tank Bags and Accessories