Mike is a real doll and his love of nature is obvious in his shots. He is kind with never a bad word to say about people. He treats everyone the way he would want to be treated himself. I suspect he would ace hugging if it was a sport. I adore looking at his wild life shots and know he must also possess great patience … Read more

Mike is a real doll and his love of nature is obvious in his shots. He is kind with never a bad word to say about people. He treats everyone the way he would want to be treated himself. I suspect he would ace hugging if it was a sport. I adore looking at his wild life shots and know he must also possess great patience and perseverance. I have gained a greater appreciation for the world around me by cruising his stream and look forward to him showing me even more of the natural world.

Mike is a force of nature. His lens work captures the beauty of our world with a great simplicity that often lacks in nature photos. He can capture the humanity in a seal or the animal in a toddler, all the while with an exceptional aesthetic sense and rigorous technique. And before finding him I thought the green f… Read more

Mike is a force of nature. His lens work captures the beauty of our world with a great simplicity that often lacks in nature photos. He can capture the humanity in a seal or the animal in a toddler, all the while with an exceptional aesthetic sense and rigorous technique. And before finding him I thought the green flash was a myth. If you want to see the world outside in all her majesty, skip going outside and just look here.

For a number of years, I hiked the Sierra with a fellow who was born and raised in China. Whenever we happened upon a particularly spectacular vista or an extraordinary sight, he would shake his head and say, "Bad rice. Bad rice!" This unusual response was rooted in a very old tradition. Chinese farmers, blessed with a… Read more

For a number of years, I hiked the Sierra with a fellow who was born and raised in China. Whenever we happened upon a particularly spectacular vista or an extraordinary sight, he would shake his head and say, "Bad rice. Bad rice!" This unusual response was rooted in a very old tradition. Chinese farmers, blessed with an abundant crop, would deny their good fortune ("Bad rice!"), lest they become self-satisfied and invoke the wrath and retribution of the gods. Shooting nature photos with Mike involves a similar ritual. No matter how spectacular the results, after a day in the field he wanders home, shaking his head, muttering, "I can do better." It may take months or years to improve upon an exquisite image, but eventually he does, indeed, do better. And again, he turns for home, shaking his head, muttering . . .