MIKE IS AN ER DOCTOR WHO SPENDS HIS FREE TIME PHOTOGRAPHING ACTIVE OUTDOOR PURSUITS NEAR HIS HOME IN GOLDEN, COLORADO.  HE FEELS FORTUNATE TO WORK WITH A GROUP OF PARTNERS THAT ALLOW HIM TO TRAVEL NEARLY SIX WEEKS A YEAR TO REMOTE WILDERNESS LOCATIONS AROUND THE WORLD PHOTOGRAPHING HIS ADVENTURES.  HE BEGAN PHOTOGRAPHING LANDSCAPES AND WEEKEND CLIMBING ADVENTURES WHILE WORKING AS A BACKCOUNTRY RANGER IN YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK  IN 1985-1988.  DURING THIS UNIQUE TIME IN HIS LIFE HE WAS PRIVILEGED TO SPEND A WEEK PHOTOGRAPHING WITH RENOWNED CLIMBER/PHOTOGRAPHER GALEN ROWELL.  MIKE'S STYLE OF PHOTOGRAPHY IS HEAVILY INFLUENCED BY ROWELL'S EARLY TEACHINGS.  LATER, WHILE WORKING IN YOSEMITE, HIS PARTICIPATION IN SEVERAL SEARCH AND RESCUE OPERATIONS SPURRED AN INTEREST IN EMERGENCY MEDICINE.  HE ATTENDED MEDICAL SCHOOL AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE AND DID HIS RESIDENCY AT DENVER GENERAL HOSPITAL.  HE CONTINUED TO PHOTOGRAPH INTERMITTENTLY DURING THESE YEARS, INCLUDING A TWO MONTH TRIP TO BOLIVIA WHERE HE DID EXTENSIVE PHOTOGRAPHY AND WAS THE MEDICAL DIRECTOR OF A HIGH ALTITUDE RESEARCH PROJECT AT 17,500 FEET IN THE ANDES.   AFTER A BUSY RESIDENCY, HE HAS NOW FOUND TIME AGAIN TO FOCUS HIS FREE TIME ON OUTDOOR PHOTOGRAPHY.    HE STRIVES TO FIND UNIQUE PERSPECTIVES ON THE LOCAL SCENERY, AND HE FEELS AN INTIMATE STUDY OF THE LANDSCAPE LEADS TO A DEEPER APPRECIATION OF  THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT BEYOND THE GRAND VISTAS WE ALL ADMIRE.  HE LIKES TO SHARE PHOTOGRAPHS OF HIS FRIENDS ENJOYING SELF PROPELLED TRAVEL IN THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENTS OF THE WORLD, HOPING THEY WILL INSPIRE OTHERS TO SEE THE BEAUTY OF THE WORLD BEYOND THE CAR WINDOW.

 

ALL OF THE AREAS PHOTOGRAPHED CAN BE EXPLORED CHEAPLY IF YOU ARE WILLING TO CAMP, BACKPACK OR STAY IN 'LOCALS' ACCOMMODATIONS.  TO  TRULY EXPERIENCE THE WORLD CAPTURED IN THESE IMAGES, BRING WITH YOU A SPIRIT OF ADVENTURE,  LISTEN TO THE LOCALS, GO TO PLACES YOU'VE NEVER HEARD OF, AND EMBRACE  THOSE WHO INHABIT THESE LANDS.  IN THE PROCESS WE CAN ALL LEARN MORE ABOUT THE  WORLD, IT'S PEOPLE AND OUR CONNECTION TO THE EARTH.  AND THEY WILL LEARN MORE ABOUT US.

 

 "THESE IMAGES ARE COMPILED FROM TWENTY YEARS OF EXPLORATION AND ADVENTURE IN SOME OF THE MORE REMOTE LANDSCAPES OF THE WORLD.  THEY ARE SYMBOLIC DISTILLATIONS OF THE MOST REWARDING EXPERIENCES IN MY LIFE, AND I FEEL PRIVILEGED TO SHARE THESE EXPERIENCES WITH YOU.  PLEASE CONTACT ME IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN VISITING ANY OF THESE AMAZING REGIONS." 

 

THANKS, ENJOY THE IMAGES, AND BUEN VIAJE!!!

Mike.

 

 

 NOTES ON  PHOTOGRAPHY

  

THE HASSELBLAD H2D

 

MY MOST RECENT IMAGES ARE  TRUE DIGITAL FILES MADE WITH A HASSELBLAD H2D MEDIUM FORMAT CAMERA WITH A 39 MEGAPIXEL DIGITAL BACK.  THIS IS THE MOST ADVANCED sTATE OF THE ART CAMERA PRODUCED TODAY.  PRINTS FROM THIS CAMERA HAVE STUNNING RESOLUTION AND COLOR FIDELITY.  PRINTS ARE COMPARABLE TO THOSE FROM AN 8X10 LARGE FORMAT CAMERA, BUT HAVE ALL OF THE BENEFITS OF DIGITAL CAPTURE. 

 

SOME OF THE IMAGES ON THE SITE ARE DIGITAL REPRODUCTIONS FROM ORIGINAL 35mm SLIDES TAKEN OVER A 20 YEAR PERIOD USING NIKON EQUIPMENT.  I  USED FUJI VELVIA 50 SLIDE FILM ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY.  DURING THE SCANNING PROCESS I HAD TO MAKE MINOR  ADJUSTMENTS IN SATURATION AND CONTRAST IN ORDER TO ACCURATELY REFLECT THE ORIGINAL SLIDE IMAGES. 

 

PRINTS AVAILABLE FROM DIGITAL MEDIA WILL BE PERSONALLY SUPERVISED FOR COLOR ACCURACY AND SHARPNESS.   PRINTS MADE FROM SLIDES WILL BE DRUM SCANNED TO MAINTAIN MAXIMUM RESOLUTION.   I OWN AN HP DESIGNJET 130 WHICH PRINTS ARCHIVAL DEEP SATURATION INKS ONTO PREMIUM SATIN FINE ART PAPER WITH AN ARCHIVAL LIFESPAN OF AT LEAST 82 YEARS.  I AM ACTIVELY INVESTIGATING  LIGHTJET AND CIBACHROME PRINT MEDIA AND WILL BE OFFERING PRINTS ON THESE FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHIC PAPERS IN THE NEAR FUTURE.

 

 

  CLICK HERE TO ORDER PRINTS OR INQUIRE ABOUT LICENSING IMAGES 

 

 WORDS TO LIVE BY...

 

 

"WE ALL TAKE PICTURES TO COMMUNICATE WHAT'S IMPORTANT IN OUR LIVES.  MOST OF US CARRY AROUND IMAGES OF OUR SPOUSES AND CHILDREN, OUR VACATIONS, AND THE UNUSUAL SCENES WE'VE WITNESSED BECAUSE PICTURES SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS.  WE SENSE THEIR SYMBOLIC POWER TO COMMUNICATE WHAT IS MEANINGFUL IN OUR LIVES AND TO VALIDATE THE IMAGERY IN OUR MEMORY BANK OF LIFE, AS IF THE IMAGE ON PAPER IS SOMEHOW A PART OF US. 

HUMANITY IS ALL THE BETTER WHEN CREATIVE INDIVIDUALS SUCCEED IN COMMUNICATING THEIR LIFE'S MOST IMPORTANT VISIONS INTO THE MINDS OF OTHERS.  I'VE MADE A CONSCIOUS EFFORT TO FOCUS THE GREAT MAJORITY OF MY LIFE'S WORK TOWARD MY OWN BRAND OF PARTICIPATORY PHOTOGRAPHY, IN WHICH I ACTIVELY CREATE IMAGES TO REFLECT MY OWN DIRECT EXPERIENCE WITH NATURE OR WITH CHOSEN PARTNERS ON MY OWN ADVENTURES"

-GALEN ROWELL

Mike took this photo of Galen in 1986 at one of his courses.

 

 

"LIFE IS NOT MEASURED BY THE NUMBER OF BREATHS WE TAKE, BUT BY THE PLACES AND MOMENTS THAT TAKE OUR BREATH AWAY.

-ANONYMOUS

 

 

"MOUNTAINS ARE THE MEANS, THE MAN IS THE END.  THE GOAL IS NOT TO REACH THE TOPS OF MOUNTAINS, BUT TO IMPROVE THE MAN."

-WALTER BONATTI

 

 

"ONCE THE MIND IS STRETCHED BY TRAVEL, IT CAN NEVER RETURN TO IT'S ORIGINAL STATE"

-ANONYMOUS

 

 

"CLIMB THE MOUNTAINS AND GET THEIR GOOD TIDINGS.  NATURE'S PEACE WILL FLOW INTO YOU AS SUNSHINE FLOWS INTO TREES.  THE WINDS WILL BLOW THEIR OWN FRESHNESS INTO YOU, AND THE STORMS THEIR ENERGY, WHILE CARES WILL DROP OFF LIKE AUTUMN LEAVES."

-JOHN MUIR

 

 

"DO NOT JUMP INTO YOUR AUTOMOBILE AND RUSH OUT TO THE CANYON COUNTRY HOPING TO SEE SOME OF THAT WHICH I HAVE ATTEMPTED TO EVOKE IN THESE PAGES.  IN THE FIRST PLACE, YOU CAN'T SEE ANYTHING FROM A CAR; YOU'VE GOT TO GET OUT OF THE GODDAMNED CONTRAPTION AND WALK, BETTER YET CRAWL, ON YOUR HANDS AND KNEES, OVER THE SANDSTONE AND THROUGH THE THORN BRUSH AND CACTUS.  WHEN TRACES OF BLOOD BEGIN TO MARK YOUR TRAIL YOU'LL SEE SOMETHING, MAYBE."

 

-EDWARD ABBEY ~ DESERT SOLITAIRE

 

 

"THE LIFE THAT WE HAVE ON EARTH IS ENOUGH OF A LIFE TO BE A SPIRITUAL THING, TO BE A FULL THING, AS LONG AS YOU DON'T JUST SIT ON YOUR ASS.  IT'S GOOD AIR TO BREATHE.

 

-SEAN PENN

 

 

   

   

   

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