My Story:
I am a visual artist in the mediums of photography and videography residing in Natchez, Mississippi, an arts & cultural center with a long and storied history. Our city sits high atop three-hundred foot cliffs overlooking Ole Man River…the “Big Muddy” itself. Natchez celebrated its 300 year tricentennial in 2016. The area’s beauty, amazing people, and wonderful culture have proffered boundless artistic opportunities and influences upon my life. This can also be said of my entire home State of Mississippi as well as neighboring Louisiana. Ultimately, all of these have had a profound influence upon my soul, as well as the vision and style I bring to the visual platforms that I am so passionate about.
My Purpose:
Is to make you and your family look amazing and to capture a precious memory for you in a very special way. Similarly, to present your product & business through visuals that will make it appealing to your customers and clients and add quality and professionalism to your branding and image. I will work with you to tell “your story” in a manner that is creative and unique.
BIO:
Born and raised in Natchez, Mississippi, I returned to my hometown in 2002 after living in both western and eastern Europe and in various locations around the U.S. for many years. As a child and throughout my formative years, I enjoyed expressing myself artistically and creatively in some medium, whether it was writing, sketching, music, or painting. My background in photography goes back to journalism classes at South Natchez-Adams High School where I learned 35mm SLR film photography under photojournalist and instructor Charlie Ross. He was the person who planted the love for photography and image making deep within me. A few short years later I found myself lugging my beloved Canon AE-1 film camera and several lenses all over Europe, where I was stationed in West Germany as a soldier there in the 1980’s. I was also heavily influenced in the Arts during High School by a fantastic Art Teacher named William Greer.
Going Digital
After getting out of the Army in 1987, the 1990’s found me taking up the digital side of things using a Nikon camera that did a particularly good job with macro photography. At the time, I co-owned an import-export Russian jewelry and folk-art business. I often created close-up product photos of the items so that we could present them and sell them over the Internet on our E-Commerce website. Over the years I migrated into other forms and genres of photography and then eventually into motion (video). Presently, my creativity in image art is centered on photography, videography, and photographic art & prints. In 2023, I earned my certification so that now I am a Certified Professional Photographer with the Professional Photographers of America. I am very proud of that accomplishment.
[To Turn the Video Auto-Play Off & On – Click on the Outer Edges of the Frame of the Video.]
ALL THE WAYS I CAN HELP YOU OR YOUR BUSINESS!
PHOTOGRAPHY & VIDEOGRAPHY CLIENTS:
CONSUMER – for Individuals & Families
CORPORATE – for Businesses, Non-Profits, Industries, & Government Entities
PHOTOGRAPHY & VIDEOGRAPHY GENRES, SERVICES & PRODUCTS:
PORTRAIT – Classic, traditional portraiture (Individuals, Families, Children, Pets, etc…)
Environmental Portraits (of the person doing what they do)
Engagement Portraits
Professional Portraits
Headshots & Staff Portraits
(I no longer shoot weddings, sorry!)
EVENT – Family Reunions, Social Gatherings
Business Open Houses, Ribbon-Cutting, Grand Openings, etc.
Specialty: I’ve done Funerals, Memorials, and other events too numerous to list
ARCHITECTURE – I have lumped these together because they are often closely associated.
REAL ESTATE – Interior & Exterior of Property, Houses, or Structures for Sale
DRONE – Site Inspections, Property/Homes for Sale, Job Documentation, Marketing
COMMERCIAL – Photography or Videography for Advertising End-Usage
Shooting to Layout & Templates
Product Shots
Food & Beverage
EDITORIAL – Publications, Magazines, Stories
Working with Art Directors
Shooting to Layout, Templates & File Requirements
VIDEOS – Short movies that highlight a business or service, usually from 1 to 3 minutes long.
Business Promos for your Website or for Social Media
Special Projects: can be almost anything, for businesses or individuals (I’ve filmed funerals, memorials, reunions, etc.)
PHOTO RESTORATION – Old photos that are yellowed, cracked, and wrinkled can often be brought back to life
FINE-ART PRINTS – Natchez & Natchez Area Scenes, Landscapes, Historic Structures, etc
PHOTO-ART – Creative renditions and artistic derivatives of my images
Photography | Videography | Fine-Art Photographic Prints
“I am so thankful to have Mike on my team as our official Amazing 12 photographer. His professionalism and attention to detail shows in his work and makes my job possible to do. It is such a relief to know that I can leave this part in Mike’s hands and it will be beautifully and professionally done.”
"Mike made photos, as well as recorded and produced a video for me during a grief workshop I held in Natchez. The setting presented some lighting and background challenges, but Mike did an excellent job and the final results were outstanding. He is very professional and it is obvious he has a gift to see light and shadows necessary to produce a great photograph and video. I have used Mike for visuals on several occasions and would highly recommend his work to anyone."
