About Michael Durham
I have made my living as a professional photographer since 1990. My lovely wife and daughter help occasionally, but for the most part I am a one man show. I take the photographs, edit the image catalog, answer the phone, maintain the web site and handle the rest of the mundane details that keep this enterprise afloat. I have many inspirations and many ambitions - one of which is to make this web site a place where clients can find and obtain images easily and quickly.
About The Photographs
I am usually juggling a variety of stories and projects at once, and a visit to the galleries will give you an idea of what my latest projects are. You might notice a theme reoccurring throughout my work. For many years I have struggled to use my cameras to photograph moments, and subjects, that would be nearly impossible for the human eye to perceive. To this end, it would not be unusual to find me cramming cameras into impossible places, or leaving them in a remote part of the forest for weeks, or tweaking them to perform beyond their specifications - all in an effort to see the hidden side of life. From rare bats flying near the edge of the Grand Canyon to wild mountain lions feeding on a kill, I can usually figure out a method for getting the shot.
Inspiration
People inspire me, and over the years I have had opportunity to meet and work with some great individuals. I find further inspiration in the photographers, scientists, writers and engineers who have poured their energy and sweat into expanding our knowledge and appreciation for the web of life that we all depend upon.
I admire the work of the late Howard "Doc" Edgerton for his creative technical abilities, and his imaginative vision. Doc Edgerton figured out how to photograph many challenging and interesting things, including the first milliseconds of an atomic explosion at close range. He invented the electronic flash units that are still used in photography today. Many of his images, while technical in nature, are often striking for their beauty.
The book "The Song Of The Dodo" by writer David Quammen haunts me to this day. The book spells out clearly and plainly how all living things are connected in an elaborate weave of life, and how it all seems to be unraveling.
Biologist Edward O Wilson once wrote "Every kind of organism has reached this moment in time by threading one needle after another,...against nearly impossible odds". I think of this every time I hike through the muck of swamp, or when I am up till 2AM in a rainy, cold forest. Living creatures find a way to eek out a living from the most challenging conditions. It is my hope that my images reflect this reality.
