Photographer Profiles



Characters from ancient myths, childhood fairytales and popular fiction have become a major part of our culture. We are all familiar with them and eager for more dramatic tales of romance and adventure. Like many of us, commercial photographer (and California resident) Michelle Monique has always been enchanted with fairytales and fantastical stories. The magic of photography allowed her to transform this passion into a reality and a successful career.

Kamchatka, Eastern Russia: I am standing at the crater rim of the active Tolbachik volcano, taking pictures. Suddenly the volcano spits out a red-glowing lava bomb that is heading precisely in my direction. Luckily enough it doesn’t hit me but lands just by my side. Although afraid at first, I delightedly grab my camera: this is a rare opportunity to take close-up shots from still very hot and glowing cinder bombs.

Andy Biggs shot this striking image of a giraffe under an acacia tree on the Serengeti Plains in Tanzania, Africa, in 2007.

Sophie Gamand is an award-winning photographer and animal advocate. Since 2010, her powerful and whimsical photography has focused on dogs and our relationship with them. She works closely with animal shelters and rescue groups to help promote adoption and animal welfare. We recently interviewed Gamand about how she became a professional animal photographer and, in particular, what draws her to photographing hairless dogs, which has become a recent focus.

Herb Ritts (1952-2002) began his career in the late 1970s, when photographers helped ignite the modern celebrity cult. The stars shone so brightly, the media coverage was widespread, and the public’s appetite was so great that the photographers were themselves illuminated by the glow from their subjects.

Imagine this. Take photos of many of the top names in the music industry over the last 30 or so years, from Keith Richards to Radiohead, Gregg Allman to Tom Waits. Shoot for Spin, Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, and Esquire, to name a few. Make said images into a coffee-table book. And to top it off, have some obscure talent like Bruce Springsteen write the elegant foreword for the book. Is it just me or does this sound like a pretty good life?

What defines fine art rests as much in the eye of the artist—be that a painter, sculptor, or photographer—as in the eye of the beholder who finds beauty and meaning in that work. The work can be something the artist discovers and captures or creates from scratch. In the case of photographer Hugh Kretschmer’s imagery, it is a tapestry interwoven with elements from disparate sources: a collage, if you will, forming a coherent whole and thereby conveying a message.