Why the Jungle?
I fell in love with rainforests at a young age through books and magazines, full of dreams of one day exploring the jungle with my own eyes. Chasing that dream into the Peruvian Amazon back in 2015, I was quickly propelled into the world of environmental conservation, looking for ways to help educate and inspire as a photographer. The Jungle Branch became my way of bringing worlds together, a home to share stories in one place with different audiences and hopefully spread more awareness to topics often overlooked, especially in times of such horrific atrocities happening across the globe.
Those of you reading this may have come here in search of a photographer for your wedding or business, discovering a connection to the jungle you may otherwise never have found. Or perhaps you already foster an interest or love for the rainforests around the globe. In either case, welcome to the jungle. Whether you came here for this or not, we are all connected, near and far.
Photography for me is therapeutic; a constant pursuit of life itself.
Throw perfection out the window and embrace the chaos of life and love.
The photographer
Hey, I’m Mike. Chicago southsider now living in Asheville, NC. I love it here in the mountains and temperate rainforests of Appalachia, but I dream of the jungle pretty much all the damn time. I’m a photographer by nature, a conservationist at heart, and a wanderer at my core. I’m half Filipino, half German. My dog, Kapok is half wolf, half newfoundland. I’ll camp anywhere if it means a new adventure, and I think nature is the fucking coolest. I grew up in a haunted house and believe dreams can peer into past lives here and lives in other dimensions. Coffee is great, but have you heard of mushrooms?
Ever since I was a kid my interest in the arts and outdoors spoke louder than my tolerance for standard academics or sports. I was the quiet kid who was always drawing in class, climbing trees, and seeking solace in the woods where I could go play with bugs or watch birds defy gravity.
Photographically, I’ve worn many, many hats, largely covering stories with a documentary approach. Having a camera at all times fuels my artistic needs, and sharing stories from the rainforests and other troubled places helps keep my mission to protect these wild lands alive.
Asheville, NC is now my home but I do return to Chicago from time to time to visit family and friends, and take on weddings and portrait sessions while in town.
Life as a camera
My life behind a lens began twenty years ago, capturing all sorts of frames from cityscape to landscape - live music, portraits, weddings, wildlife, and more. I stepped into the wedding industry in 2012, documenting celebrations of love as a way to continue exploring my art as a career. Since then it has become a way for me to help support grass roots conservation programs I believe in, feed my wandering spirit with travel, and become more connected with the land, Earth, and soul.
Like anything in this world, my work is always evolving, adapting to new environments and needs. The constant in my approach is the exploration of various elements through a particular moment or scene. I’m always chasing light and shadows, looking for the texture and shapes within the frame, allowing motion play through a space, and capture the unplanned in-betweens. What did that moment feel like? What stories can it tell?