I’m originally from Minneapolis but have lived in Tokyo for more than 10 years. I live in Shibuya with my wife, Mami, and three-year-old daughter Meisa. I am lucky to live in one of the most photogenic cities on earth!

Let’s go back a bit. How did you get into photography? What are your earliest memories of photography?

A great question…

I always remember there being a camera around. Both my father and one of my brothers were photography enthusiasts at different points in their lives. My brother was always hauling (bribing!) me to the river near our house, using me as a model for different projects. I have a lot of polaroid memories (hey…maybe a title in there somewhere) and just unearthed a couple of old cameras last time I was in town. I wouldn’t say I got into photography until after high school, and even then, it was just snapping around.

My parents bought me a point and shoot Ricoh film camera that I used for many years. That’s probably where I learned the basics of composition–even though I really had no idea what it was at the time. I took that camera on my first trip to Europe as well as Asia and almost always shot B&W film. From early on the monochrome aesthetic really appealed to me. I felt like it removed a lot of noise from the images.

I prefer a mix. I’ve heard a lot of photographers emphasize the importance of only shooting manually. I guess I’m generally a believer in tossing out the rules. There is a time and place for everything.

Spend some time just observing and trying to get a feel for the energy of the place. Also, don’t try to hide what you’re doing–it only looks suspicious and makes people wonder what you’re doing. I always carry business cards and tell people I’m happy to send them an image if they contact me. I have also found that eye contact and smiles go a long, long way.

Mainly it’s just to keep exploring and growing, letting my mind and eye lead the way. I’m just entering an exciting and scary stage in life where I will try to make a living solely based off photography. So the short-term ambition is just to survive! I have a fledgling company called Urban X that I’m going to be working on, and I am also immersed in a street photography workshop series called Finding Yourself in the Streets with good friend and insanely good photographer Mimo Khair. We have already done workshops in Shanghai and Tokyo and intend to do them in different cities all over the world.

Is Flickr still the best platform for a photographer to share and learn about photography?

For me it is. I’ve resisted going elsewhere in part because I’m a creature of habit. Also, I like the community aspect of Flickr a lot and have met some very good friends there. It’s hard to break away from that first love.

You are! Wow, this is tough…I’d prefer someone else chose them. I will choose three recent ones just to make things easier.

 This image I took in Minneapolis and means a lot to me mainly because it’s my daughter; but it’s a rare street image that features her, making it even more special to me. It was just one of those moments when everything lined up perfectly. The background; her stance; the mood. I like imagery that is open to interpretation, and I think this can be viewed in a lot of different ways from hopeful to apocalyptic. That I will leave to others.

This was taken in Shanghai in an area where it’s easy to fall into cliched photography. I have been trying to work more on layering my images, so in that sense I was happy with the composition. More than anything, though, the mood here strikes a chord with me. Good photography should be evocative or thought-provoking and I hope I’ve accomplished that here.

This I shot with my iPhone in Tokyo. I have been increasingly interested in using shadows in images, trying to find ways to look at something that is simple and complex at the same time. It’s often a challenge for me because in Tokyo, the large number of people often come out in a jumbled mess. I probably got a bit lucky here with the spacing and timing. And then I gave it a flip just to change the perception a bit.

Thanks Michael. It is great to get to know you a little better. 

In this series, I’m asking photographers to choose three of their own personal favourites and I know it is not an easy task. A photographer’s eye evolves. What may appeal one day, may change the next. Very often images reveal things earlier unseen. For me, trawling through Michael’s Flickr stream to select my own three favourites was not easy. I love everything that Michael does. (I curated a gallery of these here.) The thing that impresses me about Michael’s images is the ability to bring elements together. City life is hectic, relentless and in the world’s biggest city – Tokyo – even more so. Yet, Michael can make it stand still; suspend its momentum. He sees potential in composition that brings striking results. As in this image he took in Tapei, Taiwan –

His eye for dark and light is particularly sensitive. He has so many images which represent this, but the one which stands out for me is this one –

It sums up the old adage – less is more.

The final image I have selected is a portrait. In his stream, there are a few fine portraits among his street work. What I like about this is the connection Michael has made. The guy, a friend of his, just opens up. There is a wonderful smile, enchanting eyes and the cherry on the top is the cigarette. Now, we all know cigarettes are bad for you, but man, they can make photographs look so cool. And this is what this photograph is – super cool!

This is the first in a series of profiles I intend to do with some of my Flickr friends. A big thanks to Michael for being my first. He has a sensitivity, an alertness that the best street photographers need. He is a constant source of surprise and inspiration to me. I had the great pleasure of spending an evening with him last year in Tokyo and it was so cool to discover that we shared many things besides photography in common. A very big thanks to you, sir. Thanks for sharing your world with us.

Connect with Michael – Flickr ~ Instagram ~ Facebook