It started with a dog
I'm Mike, when my dog was getting older, I became obsessed with getting photos of him that were true to life. I spent years tuning the tones and colours, as well as investing in equipment that goes well beyond the industry standards.
I was laughed at by other photographers who considered this all to be ridiculous over-investments to capture "just a dog", but I understood the importance of what I was doing. I wanted to be transported back to exactly those moments with him.
ABOUT ME
MY GOAL
Why I do this
I lost my boy Kane in July 2024. I know how important memories are. It wasn't until 2025 that I turned this passion into something bigger. There's not a day that passes without missing him, but I have no regrets. I'm left with endless albums of the highest-quality photos, and that's something I'll never take for granted.
MY PHILOSOPHY
Social Media is a circus. The industry is becoming more performative where photographers feel the pressure to chase algorithms and trends to be relevant. The result is photography seems increasingly manufactured and overwrought with meaning. I felt inauthentic trying to fit in, so I decided not to chase the algorithms but aim for photography that's evergreen, where the point is remembering something honestly, rather than dressing it up.
Radical authenticity
MY BACKGROUND
My background
With over 22 years behind the camera and training through Shane Hurlbut’s Filmmakers Academy, Profoto, and Edinburgh’s colleges and universities, I’ve learned to meet the high standards of film on carefully controlled sets, without losing sight of practicality.
While film often works in controlled conditions, photography is about handling novelty. Each shoot is a fresh experience: shifting light, unfamiliar venues, and people whose personalities pull the scene in unique directions. Good photography isn’t about following a formula; it’s about managing unpredictability and reducing errors in lighting, composition, and posing.
In complex environments, photographers consider countless factors that affect image quality, whether light is direct or bounced, where to place the camera for balanced composition, how to avoid flat monochromatic scenes, and even how ceiling height influences lighting. A good photographer might manage a few of these variables; a great one manages more than 20. Film-making and photography complement each other, and I draw on both: the adaptability of photography and the technical precision of film. That combination turns challenging conditions into consistently strong photographs, not just the occasional lucky shot.
