The images you see on this website offer a glimpse into how my mind works. I see unexpected beauty in the patterns and textures of ordinary objects, and my chosen medium of macro and close up photography allows me to share my vision with you. I see possibilities in materials as utilitarian and mundane as window screen and silicone sealant. These possibilities inspire me to sculpt images from unlikely materials, and (with meticulous lighting and careful composition) shift the viewer's perspective in the process. My wish is to illustrate the beauty and intricacy of the world around us, a world often ignored or unnoticed by the casual observer, a world sometimes no bigger than a pencil eraser or the head of a pin.
A self-taught photographer, I have been taking pictures for about 15 years now. A bit of a rebel with little interest in formal education, I allow my instincts and inspirations to guide my artistic evolution. When an idea inspires me, I become obsessed with it until I produce an image that pleases me, discovering new techniques as I go.
The rich, vibrant colors that you see are due in part to the fact that I shoot Fujichrome® Provia slide film in medium and large format for its faithful color rendition and ultra fine grain. I then print them as giclees using an Epson Stylus Pro 7800. I chose the Epson Stylus Pro 7800 to produce my giclees because of its ability to produce fine art prints with amazing color fidelity and scratch resistance, while providing consistently stable colors that significantly outperform lesser ink technologies. Because it prints using tiny variable-sized droplets (as small as 3.5 picoliter) the resulting print is virtually continuous tone, rather than the tiny dots used in more traditional fine art reproduction processes like lithographs. The end result is a print that is very close to the continuous tones of a photograph created in the darkroom using traditional paper and chemicals.
On a more personal note, I am a native Californian who spent a number of years ‘gypsying' around the West. Three frigid years in Montana, six long months in Oregon and two and a half dry years in Nevada were enough to satisfy my wanderlust for a while and three years ago my wife and partner, Laura, and I came back ‘home' to put down some roots in far northern California. We live in a very rural area where the days are quiet and the nights are dark.
This peaceful and beautiful setting has sparked my creativity and allowed me to concentrate my energies fully on photography. I have been much more prolific here than in the previous ‘gypsy' years, so this must be the right place . . . for now!

A giclee (pronounced 'zhee clay', a French word meaning 'to spray') is a fine art print of an original artwork. Our giclees are printed on Epson Enhanced Matte paper using an Epson Stylus Pro 7800 printer.

We chose the Enhanced Matte paper for a number of reasons, not the least of which is its ability to reproduce the vibrant, highly saturated colors that are often present in Mike's work, while maintaining excellent highlight and shadow detail. It is also designed by Epson primarily for use with the Ultra Chrome K3 pigment based inks used by our 7800 printer, and this paper and ink combination is rated by Wilhelm Imaging Research to last 76 years under normal conditions (framed under glass and kept away from direct sunlight) before noticeable fading or color shifting occurs. Archival quality framing increases the life of the print even more.

We chose the Epson Stylus Pro 7800 to produce our giclees because of its ability to produce fine art prints with amazing color fidelity and scratch resistance, while providing consistently stable colors that significantly outperform lesser ink technologies. Because it prints using tiny variable-sized droplets (as small as 3.5 picoliter) the resulting print is virtually continuous tone, rather than the tiny dots used in more traditional fine art reproduction processes like lithographs. The end result is a print that is very close to the continuous tones of a photograph created in the darkroom using traditional paper and chemicals.

All of the technical mumbo jumbo aside, the vibrant colors and nuanced detail are what really impress us. We are repeatedly astonished and delighted with the quality of our giclees, we think you will be too!

Corals and Friends

Photographs of corals and other sea creatures as you've never seen them before - lit in surreal colors that transform them from the familiar off white treasures that you find along the beach to vibrant, bold studies in color, texture and pattern.

Abstracts - Experimental Silicone

You will see the term 'sculpted silicone' used to describe the process I use to create the abstract photographs in this collection.  Since 'sculpted silicone' is a term I came up with to describe the various methods I use, I thought it deserved a little explanation and illustration.  I have found that I can sculpt silicone sealant (usually used to seal doors, windows, tubs, etc.) into almost anything I can imagine, using a variety of techniques that I discover as I go.  Once I get the silicone into the shape or pattern that I have envisioned, I continue to sculpt, this time with light.  When the image ‘jumps', I trip the shutter.