I’m Michael, a photographer from Los Angeles who now calls Florianópolis home.
My photography journey started in 2012, almost by accident. I was spending a lot of time hiking around Los Angeles and taking photographs of the landscapes I came across. A dear friend noticed my photos and gave me an old digital camera they weren’t using. They told me I needed to learn how to use it because I was going to take some amazing photographs.
They were right.
A few years later, in 2017, friends who admired my landscape photography began asking me to photograph their families in those same beautiful places. Those first family sessions eventually grew into portraits, events, weddings, and many other types of photography.
Before photography, I worked in mortgage lending. It was a good career, but I wanted more creative freedom. After leaving, I began working for myself while also working with a photography studio. The studio taught me how to work with artificial light and photograph indoors, adding a completely different creative dimension to what I had learned with natural light. I loved the possibilities and still enjoy working with both today.
Finding Florianópolis
In 2024, I met a Brazilian woman named Karen while we were both in Ireland. We started with a long-distance relationship, but eventually decided it was time to find a place where we could build a life together.
After exploring a few places in Brazil, we found Florianópolis. We both fell in love with the island — the beaches, the nature, the people, and the way of life — and decided to make it our home.
Today, I photograph weddings, proposals, couples, portraits, events, and personal branding, with a particular interest in working with people and conscious businesses and brands.
Whatever I’m photographing, I want the images to feel genuine. I’m not interested in making everything look perfectly posed or overly produced. I want to capture the real moments, the personality, the light, and the little details that make a person or place unique.
When I’m not photographing people, you’ll probably find me somewhere outside with a camera. I’ve always loved nature, and I still spend a lot of my free time photographing animals, plants, landscapes, and the details that are easy to overlook.
After years of photographing in Los Angeles, I’m excited to be starting this next chapter in Florianópolis.
I’d love to hear your story.
