Meet Michael Wills

Michael Wills on Inspiration Point -copyright

Michael Wills is a world class photographer, whose work has received international recognition.

Micheal currently lives in Ithaca, New York.

To view more of Michael’s work, please visit his website as well as his galleries at Imagekind.

Our interview with Michael Wills

Q. Do you consider ART your Career? How did it all start for you?

A – The art of photography is one of my careers, adopted later in life when my son, Sean, and I travelled to New York City to view the first Saint Patrick’s Day parade after September 11, 2001 . My work from that event was so successful and satisfying I just never stopped. See my “Flags and NYC Firemen, St. Patrick’s Day Parade, 2002” in the Memories, Dreams, Reflections ImageKind gallery.

My artistic work has won recognition through international competitions / publications, gallery and retail placement and media exposure. My biography appears in the 2009 through 2011 “Marquise Who’s Who in the World”.

Q. How would you describe your work? Do you focus on a particular genre? Why?

A – My photographic style centers on the use of natural light to visualize emotion and evoke memory. The evolution of my style began early in the year 2002, with an imperative to capture personal and fleeting memories after September 11, 2001 .

 In the years since, I have discovered creation techniques to achieve for a painterly effect, building from digital photographic images. For example: view my Fine Art print “Cochise Dawn”, Cochise Image Kind Gallery. It is from a 64 megapixel photographic image. This means the closer you gaze, the more detail and surprises are revealed.

Q. Why did you join the ART for Cancer Group? What is the significance of this group to you?

A- My wife Pam and I lost a young family member to cancer when her daughter, Denna Archin, passed away January, 2007. Our support of cancer charities is a way to remember Denna, her lovely personality and drive to make a difference. We support The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Q. Are you a planner or an explorer? For example do you begin your work with a vision of the end result or do you let it evolve in the process of creating?

A- To create “Cochise Dawn” I travelled to the Chiricahua Mountains in the remote southeastern corner of Arizona , near the Mexican border. I rose at 4 am to walk into the wilderness by the light of a full moon. Just as dawn broke, I finished set up on an exposed ridge with a view of the volcanic formation that suggests the profile of the leader of the Chiricahua apaches. I did not arrive there with this image in mind. I hiked the Chiricahua Mountains , famous for extraordinary rock formations, for a week to find subjects. My interview photograph was taken on this high Chiricahua Mountain ridge.

Q. What are the most important tools you use in your work? What is your workspace like?

A- I require time and experience to understand my subjects, to imagine the image. Social networking applications are helpful for understanding viewer reactions to my work. One helpful technique is to compose weekly blogs presenting works in progress. I pay careful attention to viewer comments.

As a member of the Photographic Society of American I benefit from the Pictoral Print of the Month competition.

My cameras are a medium format Kodak pro DSC-C, 15 mp and use a 50 mm, 100 mm (macro) and 200 mm Canon lenses as well as a Sony Alpha 700 DSLR camera with a variable lens. I carry a full size tripod with a hydrostatic ball head into the field, so my pack approaches 40 pounds of photography equipment.

At home, I work from a corner, furnished with a desk, computer and printer. Photoshop CS4 runs from a dual processor Compaq professional workstation with 4 GB RAM, NVidia graphics card and a Sumsung flat screen monitor. The hardware was purchased in 2002, with an upgrade to 4 GB RAM in 2006. Though “old”, it continues to be productive for me.

Q. What is an interesting fact about yourself that not too many people know?

A – I am a Registered Dietitian who specializes in computer applications, employed by The CBORD Group, of Ithaca , New York .

Micheal supports The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Cochise Dawn by Michael Wills

Flags and NYC Firemen, Saint Patrick's Day 2002- by Michael Wills

To view more of Michael’s work, please visit his website as well as his galleries at Imagekind.