As a commercial photographer running the MikePhoto.com photo studio, Mike’s high-calibre product and nature photographs have been licensed by a variety of companies and organizations, universities and schools across Canada and the United States, published in magazines, calendars, online, and even on nature trails.

His skill behind the lens is complemented by his deep knowledge on the marketing and technology front, as Principal Consultant at Single Entry Point Marketing, a creative and web development shop. For the past 12 years, Mike has increasingly focused on commercial photography to complement catalogue-based websites, shooting on-site with clients or in his Oakville-based studio.

Mike's professional career spans over twenty years, including enterprise-grade software development, and combining product photography with proven eCommerce solutions.

Fun Facts

• Mike has been immersed - literally day and night - in photography, marketing, and technology for over 20 years.
• While Mike has a particular interest in nature photography, he has found himself more and more enjoying photographing challenging products.
• From preparation of the product, to making the photo, to post-processing, Mike (usually) leads all the aspects of the photoshoot. That might include such glamourous work as restoring the shine on metal roofing vent stacks or cleaning the dust from some long-forgotten antiques.
• Mike does his post-processing workflows on both Mac and Windows (though who cares nowadays right? Whatever makes life easier).

If you asked readers in our area if they have seen a bluebird, most would say, “I haven't seen a bluebird for years.” The Eastern Bluebird was once common throughout much of our state. In the past 50 years, the bluebird population has declined almost 90 percent. Mike's photos allowed us to show our readers how beautiful these birds are.

Tracy Ahrens
Neighbors section editor
Russell Publications, Peotone, Illinois

Preferred Cameras:

• 5D Mark IV and Canon 5DS R
• Canon 10D when Mike is getting nostalgic for times past and this camera changed the world (he was working on the Canon.ca website in those early years so Mike benefited of the Canon's friends and family program).

Preferred Lenses:

• ZEISS Milvus 100mm f/2M ZE Macro for product and still life demanding superb colour rendition.
• EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM for product, portraiture, and nature's most amazing details.
• EF TS-E 90mm f/2.8L Tilt-shift macro for product and those times where control of the plane of focus is necessary.
• EF TS-E 50mm f/2.8L Tilt-shift macro for product and those times when sharpness across the wider view is most flattering.
• EF TS-E 24mm f/3.5L Tilt-shift for capturing wider shots of products in their environment, especially useful when shooting from above the table.
• EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM for portraiture.
• EF 500mm f/4l IS USM and 600mm f/4L USM for wildlife.
• Plus a variety of L-quality zooms and primes for those times where filling specific needs are requested.

Preferred Light Modifiers:

• The larger the softbox the better (try a 4x6 one and see the difference), and not shy to use scrims when gradients make the photo. If hard shadows are driving the shoot, a default to bare-bulb and a variety of reflective materials.

Preferred Strobe Lighting:

• Godox lighting, unless there is a specific requirement that cannot be fulfilled with the current setup.
• 4 Godox QT600II strobes in the studio where battery power is not necessary and freezing motion is.
• 4 Godox AD600 Pro strobes for on-location shooting.
• 3 AD200 PRO strobes for on-location and mobility.
• 6 Canon and Godox speedlites which are put to good use when space is a premium and short duration flash is a necessity.

Preferred Continuous Lighting:

• 4 Godox VL300 LED lights for those situations where constant lighting is preferred.
• 2 Godox S-30 LED lights for those situations where better control of focused light makes a difference.

Preferred Tripods

• Black Aluminum Black Pro Geared Tripod w/ Column with 405 Geared Tripod Head for studio work.
• Gitzo Lightweight Series 1 Traveler Carbon Fiber Tripod with Center Ball Head for nature work.
• A variety of Manfrotto and Gitzo tripods that have accumulated over the years and are still being used from time to time.

Preferred Software

• Capture One Pro for tethered studio work.
• Capture Pilot for mobile control of tethered camera.
• Adobe Photoshop for post-processing.
• Adobe Premiere Pro for video editing.