2009 Update

I walked away from my cameras in January 2008. My commercial photography business was slowly eroding away. My clients dwindled from 20+/year to just four, as I was being underbid by just about anyone with a camera. My $1800 day-rate used to be a bargain to art directors and editors, then I was told that my imagery was superior, but too costly for what they needed for editorial and print ad work in the current cost-cutting economy.

As a result, I would take my cameras out only twice in the next 18 months.

I just (in July 2009) got back from a week-long, fine art, workshop called "Visual Poetry" with Keith Carter at the Santa Fe Workshops. I had been planning on attending this specific workshop for the past 3 or 4 years, but was too busy. After my immersion in such a wonderful experience, I have a renewed vigor and (once again) an emotional connectivity to the art of photography. Now, when I carry my camera, I am (like the surfer) " a TRUE child of the High Water." Photography to me is a playful, creative, experimental journey once again.

I have several photo projects that I've restarting. Email me if you want to discuss a fine-art model assignment. I still have several ties to the industry, so I am still able to get our images published nationally or seen at a gallery exhibit in front of a national audience.

2007 Work

2007 was a very busy year - I was fortunate to receive several, very interesting private and corporate assignments that resulted in two National Print ads in Shutterbug Magazine (Jan. 2008 issue, Page 28) and American Photo Magazine (Jan./Feb. Issue, Page 8) and an exhibit of one of my urban landscapes by Wallspace Gallery of Seattle, which is also showing at Photo LA (January) 2008. The New Orleans Photo Alliance chose one of my images in their Toy Stories exhibit of images from plastic cameras in Feb. 2008.

My images (thanks to the beautiful model, Sydney Spurgeon) were used in Lensbabies’ tradeshow booth at PMA in Las Vegas in March 2007. National Public Radio (NPR) used one of my images in April 2007 as their title image on their Weekend America (National Talk Radio) website.

Additionally, I am happy to announce that my work was selected as one of 100 top art portfolios (internationally) being reviewed at the prestigious Santa Fe Photography Review in May 2007. Along with early 2007 publications in LightLeaks Magazine (Issue#5, Winter 2007, page 15) and Shots Magazine#95 (page 15, thanks to the wonderful model, Victoria de Mare) and Contact Sheet (TPS, February 2007), I was selected to exhibit a juried show at ViewPoint Gallery (Sacramento, CA in January 2007, thanks to Sarah Harvey for the fabulous modeling), and at Soho Photo Gallery’ Krappy Kamera Competition (my Kallitype image was one of 58 selected out of 1400 total submissions) in NYC in March 2007. And, ... more.

2006 work

In 2006, I was honored with awards and exhibited my fine art in juried galleries in New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, and Tucson. Also in 2006, my images have been published in Camera Arts Magazine, Light Leaks Magazine, MoonCruise Magazine, and Contact Sheet from the Texas Photographic Society.

www.ExposeTheShadows.com for my Night Photography

www.MichaelKoernerPhotography.com for my commercial work,