I love watching people, how they interact with the other people around them and the environment they happen to be in at the time.
Some of these photos are deliberate portraits; some were unaware that I was photographing them in their environment.
All document a moment in time.
I love getting up high to shoot night and aerial photography from the top of a building or even a helicopter.
The photos of Wolfgang Buttress's 'Rise' sculpture at the junction of Westlink and Broadway, were the first time the sculpture had been photographed from above.
Hanging out the back of an R44 helicopter with no doors and just a car seat belt on to stop me plummeting 1500ft to a certain death, is an experience I won't forget in a hurry!
Other night photos of Belfast city centre were used for promotional purposes by MTV and Belfast City Council when the MTV Music Awards were held in the Odyssey Arena in 2011.
Belfast is an amazing city and for all its troubles, I still love it as much as I hate it.
The first record I bought was “Heart of Glass” by Blondie way back in 1978. Since then, music has been a massive part of my life and I enjoy listening to everything from Abba andThe Jam to U2 and ZZ Top.
The Belfast rave scene during the early 90’s completely changed the direction of my life (for the better of course) and for me, nothing beats a live music gig - especially if I have a camera in my hand.
"I asked Michael to help me promote my business. He set to work on a new company logo, photo shoot, website, business card and promotional video.
He was meticulous, worked quickly and took any stress away from myself. I couldn't have been happier with the result.
Michael is a total professional who knows his trade inside and out. I wouldn't hesitate to use his services again and can't recommend him highly enough."
Ian Coomber, Personal Trainer, DW Sports Fitness.
Recent commercial clients have included:
PowerNI
The Grand Opera House
Belfast City Council
Sean Graham Bookmakers
NI Football Association
Cliftonville Football Club
Bistro 155
Festival of Fools
Citybeat 96.7FM
Ulster Weavers
Print Library
Ulster Tatler
Ventnors Fresh Food
Belfast Community Circus
BMW Bavarian Belfast
AC Cobra Owners Club
Nano Factory
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” Mark Twain.
Personal highlights of recent trips around Europe, Canada, Thailand and my favourite place on the planet, India.
Wedding photography teaches you the discipline and attention-to-detail that can be applied to any genre of photography. Every wedding is unique and challenging but supremely rewarding.
My style is very much a candid, documentary-style approach, but I fully understand the importance and necessity of the formal photos also. Although my idea of 'formal' may not be the same as yours!
Here is a selection of my favourite weddings, communions, christenings, and graduations I’ve shot over the last 15 years.
Team work makes the dream work. Said somebody at sometime…
I’ve been lucky to have worked with so many local and national retailers, labels and models. And very much like weddings, each shoot presents its own challenges. The main difference is having an amazing team to share the load.
Various landscapes from around Ireland. This is an area of my work that I really love, and one I intend to develop in future.