My name is Michael and I am a twenty year old artist living in beautiful Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Photography has consistently been the medium in which I am most able to express myself, and I'm thrilled to be able to share that with you.
Taking photos quickly became a huge part of my teen years. I started with a small point-and-shoot camera that I would bring with me everywhere, but thanks to my illustrious career as a newspaper boy, I was able to purchase my very own DSLR camera (one of those fancy schmancy cameras with the removable lenses). It wasn't until I started a personal project of taking a new photograph every day for a year that I really started to find my niche in photography. I took some of my favorite photos during this project and still see it as one of the most important learning and growing experiences of my life.
After an unfortunate accident that happened right after I took that photo up there on the right, I was forced to take a break from photography while I saved up for a new camera. Basically, having your camera on a tripod in the middle of a river is not the smartest idea. I later realized this misfortune was a blessing in disguise, because it allowed me to step back, rekindle my creative energy, and also get a wonderful new camera. My Nikon d600 camera has since accompanied me through many photo endeavors such as senior portrait sessions, weddings, and it even came with me while I backpacked across Europe.
Much of my inspiration is rooted in nature. Throughout my life I feel an overwhelming sense of peace juxtaposed with a darker, more mysterious air whenever I'm out wandering in nature. I choose to stage the majority of my self portraits in environments such as forests or fields in order to capture the experience I am feeling.