August 28, 2025 • 24 mins
What separates a simple snapshot from a photograph that tells a powerful story? For Michael Still of Still's Life Photography, it's all about revealing the unseen narrative behind every subject.
Michael brings decades of artistic experience to his photography, having started with crayons and fine arts before developing his photographic eye. Unlike conventional photographers who might specialize in weddings or portraits, Michael has carved out a unique niche focusing primarily on automotive photography, landscapes, and travel imagery. His approach is deliberately unhurried and deeply personal.
"I need to understand and get to know you," Michael explains, describing his process with clients. "What's that story? And a lot of times I tell people that story may emerge a little bit as we get to know each other." This investment in relationship-building transforms what could be ordinary photos into visual narratives that capture something meaningful about the subject. For car enthusiasts, Michael understands the profound emotional connection they have with their vehicles – comparing it to the deep emotional significance of wedding photography.
Beyond his client work, Michael and his wife lead adventure travel experiences around the world, from scuba diving in Indonesia to rafting the Grand Canyon. These journeys provide him with extraordinary photographic opportunities in pristine, often remote locations. One of his favorite images captures a massive approaching thunderhead in Cuba, which has developed its own following among scuba divers.
With refreshing honesty, Michael acknowledges his artistic approach isn't for everyone. "Probably a third of the people think I'm the greatest photographer that they've ever met. Another third are 'well, this is interesting.' And another third are 'you know, this isn't for me at all' and that's okay." This self-awareness allows him to focus on clients who value his storytelling perspective.
Ready to have your story revealed through photography? Visit stillslife.net or contact Michael directly at 303-829-0337 to discuss how your passion might translate into images worth displaying.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, Nick George.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast.
Are you in need of a goodphotographer or a good
photography company?
One might be closer than youthink.
Today I have the pleasure ofintroducing your good neighbor,
michael Still of Still's LifePhotography.
Michael, how's it going?
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Very well Appreciate connecting today.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Appreciate you being here.
We're excited to learn allabout you and your photography
practice.
Tell us about your company.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
Well, I'm a little different in many ways.
I do client photography andalso landscape.
It started when I was youngwith current coloring with
crayons and then eventually tofine arts, and that's where I
(00:58):
was for quite a while and then,as I got near retirement, I
thought I'd better refire up thephotography again.
I've been doing it for a longtime so a lot of it's been
automotive oriented.
I do a lot of photography atcar shows, people's car
collections, private collectionsand that sort of thing, but
(01:21):
along with that I've developedquite a following of people that
collect my work, so there's afine art component to it.
So recent example was I got ashot of a, an approaching
thunderhead in Cuba, huge, hugestorm that eventually turned
(01:41):
into a very well named storm,but at any rate the setting of
it and everything was justfantastic and that one has
developed its own followingamong scuba divers, not among
car people.
So and reason for that is mywife and I also take people on
(02:03):
vacations, so we take peoplescuba diving.
We're heading to Fiji nextFriday for three weeks.
In New Zealand we take groupsrafting the Grand Canyon.
We explore a lot of theCaribbean and then in between
that time I spend a lot of timeon the back roads of America.
(02:27):
That's a real passion is justexploring every little small
town.
A lot of times, these smalltown, the stories are just
fabulous, and so a lot of theway I look at what I do is much
like a reporter or a magazinearticle.
(02:48):
So if you were to come to me andsay I'd like you to photograph
my car or whatever, it's not assimple as okay, let's do that.
I need to, just like we'redoing today.
It's to really understand andget to know you.
And then what's that story?
And a lot of times I tellpeople that story may emerge a
(03:09):
little bit as we get to knoweach other.
So it's not a process of let'shurry up and shoot these and get
something hanging in the wall.
Tell me about you, tell meabout your interests, your
hobbies, your families.
That's when the magic happens,is when it flips my light bulb
on and I can say, okay, I getthis.
I understand this Because thecar parts one thing, but
(03:33):
anything, any interest thatpeople have, just fascinates me
and that's what drives a goodphotograph.
Otherwise, you can take yourphone and take a picture, it
doesn't matter.
So these are very personal tome and consequently a lot of my
clienteles will have differentneeds or interests.
(03:55):
It might be some of the folksthat we travel with around the
world, it might be local carclubs, it might be someone that
has a very expensive carcollection.
I photographed a number ofthose private collections around
the West and in the Midwest.
But to me it's the what's thestory and how do we tell your
(04:19):
story?
And I think that's I kind ofhave a running.
Maybe I'm wrong, but I, I thinkin general my photography.
Probably a third of the peoplethink I'm the greatest
photographer that they've evermet.
Another third are well, this isinteresting.
And another third are you know,this isn't for me at all and
(04:41):
that's okay.
Um, I kind of follow a quote ofGeorgia O'Keeffe which was
there is no such thing assuccess.
You're only.
What you're really trying to dois is reveal yourself, and so a
lot of times that's ourinteraction is let's reveal you.
(05:04):
Let's reveal you in thatpicture.
I just did a wonderful one fora guy with a collector car.
We filmed it in front ofOdell's Brewery, which is a nice
setting, but he's a guy I knowquite a while.
But you stand out there andspend some time.
And then you hear the otherstories and the more stories.
So this isn't a quick process,frankly, but I tend to want to
(05:29):
come away with.
It is that I've expressed whatyou're about.
I've revealed your unknown notmine, but that's certainly how I
look at things.
So sometimes that's somethingyou may not realize, and we'll
have that conversation and thenit becomes you know what?
This was my grandfather's farmtruck.
Let me tell you about it.
(05:51):
That becomes a really, reallywonderful, magical kind of an
experience.
And I had, just a week ago, agentleman order some, some
prints, and it was that story ofthe relatives 44 that they'd
spent all these years.
Well then, it becomes all thestory of grandpa and the kids
(06:14):
and the grandkids, and so thosethings are really fun and it
reveals itself that way a lot oftimes too.
Too, when I'm photographing oldbuildings, it's the same kind
of story.
To just come and take a picture,that's not a big deal, and in
fact, with the quality ofhigh-end mobile phones today,
(06:35):
you can take great pictures.
But does it convey the story?
Does it reveal the unknown?
That may sound a little cornyand it may be that third of the
people go.
I don't care about that.
But that other third, I thinkit pulls all of our.
It's a two-way street.
We pull all that passiontogether.
(06:56):
I get more excited often thanthey do and then it becomes a
great experience and that'sreally what I try to do.
You'll see me occasionally inmagazines although print
photography isn't what it usedto be, but I've done that over
the years different timesAutomotive publications, travel
(07:18):
publications.
It's still fun but frankly itdoesn't generate all that much
revenue.
And also, again, theinterpersonal part is so
important to me Because I'llhave competitors, for instance,
at a car show, and they will goaround and take photographs.
And then you talk to peoplethat had those photographs done
(07:42):
and they go well, it was okay, Igo.
Well, what's wrong with it?
Because I don't know.
It just doesn't feel good.
He says it's I don't know howyou see, how you see these
things.
I said it's because I see you,your cars.
Your car isn't great, but it'syou and it's your personality,
and so I I tend not to fall intothat.
(08:04):
Pull up, we're going to take apicture next.
You know, if that's not how itworks, and people that put the
time and effort into any hobbyor interest, whether it's
automobiles or travel.
It's passion and that's what Ihope to, to go away with is that
we both look at it and go, hey,there's the story.
(08:26):
And so that makes me a bitdifferent and I'm probably I'm
the perfect photographer for athird of those people and for a
third of those people I'm notthe right fit, and so in between
, of course it goes other ways,but that keeps me passionate and
enjoying it.
Otherwise, if it was justproduction photography, which
(08:48):
I've done, you know, that's notmy thing.
It's just more because of mything, my artistic background,
that I just see things like amovie scene or like a story
things like a movie scene orlike a story, and did I get this
right, that that started?
Speaker 2 (09:07):
I mean, you talked about drawing when you were
younger, but then you jumped tocars.
Speaker 3 (09:09):
Well, if you're a young boy, the first thing you
do is you take a crayon and drawa car and that's with people in
the automotive side, thatliterally is everybody's story.
And then they get the toy car,and then they get the slot car,
and if it gets really bad, Ihave a 68 Mercury Cougar hot rod
that I built up over the yearstoo, so it never ends.
(09:32):
But it's kind of an interest.
Certainly that exists in somepeople.
The automotive side of it, oh,I have it right, yeah, that
exists in some people.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
the automotive side of it, oh.
Speaker 3 (09:41):
I have it right.
Speaker 2 (09:42):
Yeah, okay, I got into photography because I was
showing cars for Ford when Iworked for Ford.
Oh, you were Okay okay, boy,people really loved getting a
video shot.
They brought them right in andit was like they already knew me
Right, so that's where Ilearned the power of video and
it's why I do what I do today.
So I'm very connected to whatyou're talking about.
Speaker 3 (10:02):
I just was wondering if how it happened for you and
well, like I say, that would bethe early part, the artistic
part of it.
I've always had a certain skillto that or way of seeing things
.
I think that's probably thecomment often people make when
they see my stuff is how couldyou see that?
(10:22):
And you know, sometimes it'shard to explain and if you, you
have that background, the wayyou see the world, and everyone
sees the world differently andit's I tell people a lot of
times to you know, I'd like tounderstand how you see the world
because I can probably do abetter job if I understand that.
So it's great fun and I thinkwe kind of share that connection
(10:43):
.
Certainly, but I was in collegestudying graphic arts, did the
drift away from my major earlyon and then somehow ended up in
in an executive level at a bigcorporation in the construction
(11:05):
industry.
But it never stopped my chasingand the left and the travel in
fact was great because I got tosee a lot of places I would
never have gone to and meet alot of people I would never have
met.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
So that's some lot of people I would never have met.
I'm going to ask you some moreabout that in just a second.
But I want to know who are yourtarget customers, because if
you'd asked me before we startedtalking, I would have said the
money's on weddings.
I'm not hearing anything likethat.
So like who is your bread andbutter?
Well, and you know a car.
Speaker 3 (11:40):
car photography is not unlike wedding photography.
The emotional attachments hugeand it's very deep, and so some
of those are those conversationsyou would have with a wedding
photographer, trying tounderstand you and your
interests and your hobbies andso on.
It's no different, it's justthat that's where that passion
lies and partly too, because ofmy passion, it positions me
(12:04):
different from many otherphotographers, and that's
important to me too.
There's, you know, I have aniece that is one of the
greatest, uh, seniorphotographers in the world, but
I told her I could never do whatyou do, and she is as good as
(12:26):
you get.
And she looks at me and shesays I have no way to do what
you do.
So it's how you see the worldand she's just magical the way
she connects with high schoolseniors.
Um, you know.
So it's passion, you know,certainly.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
So you don't really care who finds you.
You're speaking to the magazineeditorial manager, who's
looking for a photographer, allthe way down to the collector.
Speaker 3 (12:51):
Yeah, and I'm involved in a lot of the car
clubs and so on.
We do a lot of and I'massociated with a lot of
community stuff that we do forcharity, children's hospital and
so on.
We do a lot of and I'massociated with a lot of
community stuff that we do forcharity, children's hospital and
so on.
So that base is broader thanyou would think and in fact
Northern Colorado's populationof car enthusiasts is huge.
(13:13):
For relatively small populationwe really have a lot going.
But also I've been able toconnect through some of the
bigger shows with collectors.
There's a surgeon in Texas who'svery well known for collecting
really fabulous cars and thenyou see him all the time buying
(13:35):
cars at Barrett Jackson.
So that was one where I met amechanic who was restoring a
very unusual car for him and sothat was a connection.
That's produced stuff and thenof course then the referrals
from there.
But it's really the passion ofthat hobby and that keeps me
(13:57):
into it.
But besides the car thing it'salso travel.
I traveled for 40 years onbusiness but I cannot stop
traveling now.
I had back surgery a month anda half ago I'm losing my mind
right now from boredom so I wascleared to drive, so I can go
out now.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
Scuba diving is probably great for whatever was
going going on with your back.
Speaker 3 (14:22):
Oh, yeah, yeah, and you know it's, it's it's like
like a lot of us in my, myvintage, uh, the parts are
breaking down from time to time.
So you know it's it's okay.
But the photography, uh I againback to your original question.
A lot of it started withcrayons and fine art media all
the way through, and sosometimes people say, well, how
(14:44):
do you see that?
Well, sometimes what I see issomething that reminds me of
Georgia O'Keeffe or any of theImpressionists.
I mean, there's ways to seethat, and that's also now.
I've evolved and it's veryexciting.
As digital photography came on,that was an interesting thing to
(15:09):
transition to.
But also the technology now isso incredible and so I'm doing a
lot more so incredible, and soI'm doing a lot more digital
artwork, or digital photographyartwork.
In fact, I'm working on somethings right now for a client
that he wants some justbasically, it would be a car
(15:30):
that doesn't exist, you knowdeveloping something that he
likes, and so we'll see wherethat goes.
But so there's that too, thatit kind of gets your juices
going, because I wished I were40 years younger, because it is
so exciting to see what's goingon with it.
Speaker 1 (15:49):
Is the group travel?
Speaker 2 (15:50):
thing that you're doing a separate business, or
you just.
Speaker 3 (15:53):
Well, it actually.
My wife was a teacher and sheretired and she used to scuba
dive and she said I need to finda way to scuba dive after I
retire.
So she helped High Plains Scubain Fort Collins, set up their
travel, and so she and I takegroups traveling around the
(16:17):
world.
There are also we have otherother group leaders, but that's
become a big part of theirbusiness is scuba base trips.
Sometimes they're scuba will bepart of it and there will be
other things to see.
We had one last year that tookus all over the Western Pacific.
(16:38):
So you know, that's kind of howthat started.
But, like the river, raftingwas not something the scuba shop
identified with.
But what we've created is wehave a group of adventurous
travelers, and so when we didthe Grand Canyon the first time,
(16:58):
we reached out to these peopleand said what do you think?
And boom, now we fill two boats, we take 24 people down there
for six days and it's alife-changing experience for a
lot of people.
If you haven't done it, yeah,but so that kind of drove it
(17:19):
we're both pretty adventurous bynature.
Speaker 2 (17:20):
Who would want to let a professional photographer
plan their excursion?
I mean, you know it's bound tobe beautiful if you planned it.
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (17:29):
And it's.
You know, travel broadens youso much.
We had not been to the WesternPacific until about probably six
, seven years ago, and Indonesiais the most stimulating country
I've ever visited.
It's hard to even explain it,but from an artistic and visual
(17:55):
standpoint it's just anunbelievable place.
And so we're finding more as weget further into some of these
places.
But we have one divedestination, Missoula, that
takes 22 hours to get to.
It's an abandoned Japaneseshark finning camp to.
(18:21):
It's an abandoned Japaneseshark finning camp and because
of the distance, the environmentis absolutely pristine in and
out of the water, and so whenyou take someone and they're
swimming with a ocean going searay that's got 16 feet wide fins
, you know it's thrilling stuff.
Speaker 2 (18:41):
Michael, please tell our listeners one thing that
they should absolutely rememberabout stills life photography.
Speaker 3 (18:49):
I think if there's something to remember is just in
a very simple way, is is ifyou're looking at having someone
to photograph or to takephotography for you, I think
understand what we talked abouthere.
I'm not a senior photo guy, I'mnot a wedding photographer and
(19:10):
probably would be terrible atboth, but I am very.
I like to be very engaged withclients and and really
understand.
Sometimes it may not goanywhere and that's okay,
because ultimately, if what wecollaborate on produces what you
want and you're proud to haveit on your wall, we've both won.
(19:32):
We're fine.
But to chase just to chasebusiness for business, no,
that's.
That's not Not driving me, atany rate.
But but if you came to me andsaid I've got this really cool
thing or we have an oldfarmhouse in Kansas that we'd
like to have you photograph,sign me up Absolutely now, tell
(19:53):
me about it and who lived there.
So it's very personal.
I really, otherwise, grab youriPhone, take a picture and put
it on your wall.
It's okay, you know I'm notoffended, it's, you know, but
but it's really about vision andI think that's the difference
between myself and many othersis, to me, it's the story first
(20:13):
and the product is the result ofthe story, and if we don't
cover the story well, or I don'tengage you like I should, the
results won't be as good as theycould be.
So it's kind of an interestingprocess.
Speaker 2 (20:26):
I feel like we could do one of these on every work
project you've ever done.
In fact, have you ever thoughtabout doing a podcast?
Speaker 3 (20:33):
Well, you know, I've given some thought to that,
because there are.
You know, not to bore you todeath, but I have twenty some
thousand photographs of all overthe place.
But also I have the stories.
The one of the CubanThunderhead is a fabulous story,
some of the Grand Canyon stuff,and sometimes too.
(20:57):
I had an accidental successrecently and it's become very
popular.
I was working in the garden andI walked in and my hands were
all torn up and an orchid hadfallen off into onto the floor
in our atrium.
I picked it up and I looked atmy torn up hand and this
(21:20):
beautiful orchid and that is apowerful, powerful photograph
because it captured the beautyand the beast, because his hand
is reaching around it, and sothe hand is all done in black
and white and the orchid is donein its color, which is kind of
a light pink.
So those are the kind that didI plan that?
(21:41):
No, it's one of my favoritesthough, so that's.
You know that would be one.
You wouldn't come to me forthat.
But if I were doing a show andI do a number of different shows
and exhibits that's one that alot of times people go.
That's really, really cool.
You know, I got that story.
It's beauty and the beast it'syou know.
(22:02):
And so you know a lot ofcreative stuff is a good
accident, you know so.
Speaker 2 (22:06):
Michael, how can people find you online?
What are all the ways thatpeople can see your work online
and discover you online?
Speaker 3 (22:12):
The website is stillslifenet stillslifenet
without the apostrophe.
And then I'm also on Facebookunder Michael Still, but also I
have another page that'sprimarily automotive.
It's Still's Life ClassicAutomobile Photography, so you
(22:33):
can.
If it's car oriented, that'swhere you want to look, and I
post a lot on there from, so youcan look through all kinds of
things.
The website is a bit morecompact, mainly because I just
haven't put the time into tokeep it up like I should.
But those will be more personalprojects or they will be not so
(22:53):
much automotive, some of thatbut there'll be more landscape,
a lot of stuff from thesouthwest, from the deserts.
So now, that's what.
That's a good place to find me,and then you want people
calling you by phone absolutely,yeah.
Yeah, my number is three zerothree eight.
Two nine zero three three seven, and I suggest that's a good
(23:17):
way.
Or send a text and I guess toprepare you for the call.
It'll take a few minutes and Ithink it's just let's see if
we're a good fit.
If we're not a good fit, Iprobably won't do the great job
for you that I should do.
So we'll have a conversationand you may feel like okay, or
(23:38):
yeah, this is exciting, I have astory.
I didn't know I had a story, solet's tell that story.
And I tend to tell people.
I try to look at your projectlike it's a magazine article.
Speaker 2 (23:51):
I see that so well, michael, we wish.
We really appreciate you beingon the show and we wish you and
stills photography or stillslife for the very best moving
forward.
Speaker 3 (24:04):
Thank you, I appreciate the time today.
Speaker 1 (24:07):
Thank you for listening to the good neighbor
podcast.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go to GNP.
Gnp, fort Collinscom,that'spfortcollinscom, or call
970-438-0825.
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, Nick George.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast.
Are you in need of a goodphotographer or a good
photography company?
One might be closer than youthink.
Today I have the pleasure ofintroducing your good neighbor,
michael Still of Still's LifePhotography.
Michael, how's it going?
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Very well Appreciate connecting today.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Appreciate you being here.
We're excited to learn allabout you and your photography
practice.
Tell us about your company.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
Well, I'm a little different in many ways.
I do client photography andalso landscape.
It started when I was youngwith current coloring with
crayons and then eventually tofine arts, and that's where I
(00:58):
was for quite a while and then,as I got near retirement, I
thought I'd better refire up thephotography again.
I've been doing it for a longtime so a lot of it's been
automotive oriented.
I do a lot of photography atcar shows, people's car
collections, private collectionsand that sort of thing, but
(01:21):
along with that I've developedquite a following of people that
collect my work, so there's afine art component to it.
So recent example was I got ashot of a, an approaching
thunderhead in Cuba, huge, hugestorm that eventually turned
(01:41):
into a very well named storm,but at any rate the setting of
it and everything was justfantastic and that one has
developed its own followingamong scuba divers, not among
car people.
So and reason for that is mywife and I also take people on
(02:03):
vacations, so we take peoplescuba diving.
We're heading to Fiji nextFriday for three weeks.
In New Zealand we take groupsrafting the Grand Canyon.
We explore a lot of theCaribbean and then in between
that time I spend a lot of timeon the back roads of America.
(02:27):
That's a real passion is justexploring every little small
town.
A lot of times, these smalltown, the stories are just
fabulous, and so a lot of theway I look at what I do is much
like a reporter or a magazinearticle.
(02:48):
So if you were to come to me andsay I'd like you to photograph
my car or whatever, it's not assimple as okay, let's do that.
I need to, just like we'redoing today.
It's to really understand andget to know you.
And then what's that story?
And a lot of times I tellpeople that story may emerge a
(03:09):
little bit as we get to knoweach other.
So it's not a process of let'shurry up and shoot these and get
something hanging in the wall.
Tell me about you, tell meabout your interests, your
hobbies, your families.
That's when the magic happens,is when it flips my light bulb
on and I can say, okay, I getthis.
I understand this Because thecar parts one thing, but
(03:33):
anything, any interest thatpeople have, just fascinates me
and that's what drives a goodphotograph.
Otherwise, you can take yourphone and take a picture, it
doesn't matter.
So these are very personal tome and consequently a lot of my
clienteles will have differentneeds or interests.
(03:55):
It might be some of the folksthat we travel with around the
world, it might be local carclubs, it might be someone that
has a very expensive carcollection.
I photographed a number ofthose private collections around
the West and in the Midwest.
But to me it's the what's thestory and how do we tell your
(04:19):
story?
And I think that's I kind ofhave a running.
Maybe I'm wrong, but I, I thinkin general my photography.
Probably a third of the peoplethink I'm the greatest
photographer that they've evermet.
Another third are well, this isinteresting.
And another third are you know,this isn't for me at all and
(04:41):
that's okay.
Um, I kind of follow a quote ofGeorgia O'Keeffe which was
there is no such thing assuccess.
You're only.
What you're really trying to dois is reveal yourself, and so a
lot of times that's ourinteraction is let's reveal you.
(05:04):
Let's reveal you in thatpicture.
I just did a wonderful one fora guy with a collector car.
We filmed it in front ofOdell's Brewery, which is a nice
setting, but he's a guy I knowquite a while.
But you stand out there andspend some time.
And then you hear the otherstories and the more stories.
So this isn't a quick process,frankly, but I tend to want to
(05:29):
come away with.
It is that I've expressed whatyou're about.
I've revealed your unknown notmine, but that's certainly how I
look at things.
So sometimes that's somethingyou may not realize, and we'll
have that conversation and thenit becomes you know what?
This was my grandfather's farmtruck.
Let me tell you about it.
(05:51):
That becomes a really, reallywonderful, magical kind of an
experience.
And I had, just a week ago, agentleman order some, some
prints, and it was that story ofthe relatives 44 that they'd
spent all these years.
Well then, it becomes all thestory of grandpa and the kids
(06:14):
and the grandkids, and so thosethings are really fun and it
reveals itself that way a lot oftimes too.
Too, when I'm photographing oldbuildings, it's the same kind
of story.
To just come and take a picture,that's not a big deal, and in
fact, with the quality ofhigh-end mobile phones today,
(06:35):
you can take great pictures.
But does it convey the story?
Does it reveal the unknown?
That may sound a little cornyand it may be that third of the
people go.
I don't care about that.
But that other third, I thinkit pulls all of our.
It's a two-way street.
We pull all that passiontogether.
(06:56):
I get more excited often thanthey do and then it becomes a
great experience and that'sreally what I try to do.
You'll see me occasionally inmagazines although print
photography isn't what it usedto be, but I've done that over
the years different timesAutomotive publications, travel
(07:18):
publications.
It's still fun but frankly itdoesn't generate all that much
revenue.
And also, again, theinterpersonal part is so
important to me Because I'llhave competitors, for instance,
at a car show, and they will goaround and take photographs.
And then you talk to peoplethat had those photographs done
(07:42):
and they go well, it was okay, Igo.
Well, what's wrong with it?
Because I don't know.
It just doesn't feel good.
He says it's I don't know howyou see, how you see these
things.
I said it's because I see you,your cars.
Your car isn't great, but it'syou and it's your personality,
and so I I tend not to fall intothat.
(08:04):
Pull up, we're going to take apicture next.
You know, if that's not how itworks, and people that put the
time and effort into any hobbyor interest, whether it's
automobiles or travel.
It's passion and that's what Ihope to, to go away with is that
we both look at it and go, hey,there's the story.
(08:26):
And so that makes me a bitdifferent and I'm probably I'm
the perfect photographer for athird of those people and for a
third of those people I'm notthe right fit, and so in between
, of course it goes other ways,but that keeps me passionate and
enjoying it.
Otherwise, if it was justproduction photography, which
(08:48):
I've done, you know, that's notmy thing.
It's just more because of mything, my artistic background,
that I just see things like amovie scene or like a story
things like a movie scene orlike a story, and did I get this
right, that that started?
Speaker 2 (09:07):
I mean, you talked about drawing when you were
younger, but then you jumped tocars.
Speaker 3 (09:09):
Well, if you're a young boy, the first thing you
do is you take a crayon and drawa car and that's with people in
the automotive side, thatliterally is everybody's story.
And then they get the toy car,and then they get the slot car,
and if it gets really bad, Ihave a 68 Mercury Cougar hot rod
that I built up over the yearstoo, so it never ends.
(09:32):
But it's kind of an interest.
Certainly that exists in somepeople.
The automotive side of it, oh,I have it right, yeah, that
exists in some people.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
the automotive side of it, oh.
Speaker 3 (09:41):
I have it right.
Speaker 2 (09:42):
Yeah, okay, I got into photography because I was
showing cars for Ford when Iworked for Ford.
Oh, you were Okay okay, boy,people really loved getting a
video shot.
They brought them right in andit was like they already knew me
Right, so that's where Ilearned the power of video and
it's why I do what I do today.
So I'm very connected to whatyou're talking about.
Speaker 3 (10:02):
I just was wondering if how it happened for you and
well, like I say, that would bethe early part, the artistic
part of it.
I've always had a certain skillto that or way of seeing things
.
I think that's probably thecomment often people make when
they see my stuff is how couldyou see that?
(10:22):
And you know, sometimes it'shard to explain and if you, you
have that background, the wayyou see the world, and everyone
sees the world differently andit's I tell people a lot of
times to you know, I'd like tounderstand how you see the world
because I can probably do abetter job if I understand that.
So it's great fun and I thinkwe kind of share that connection
(10:43):
.
Certainly, but I was in collegestudying graphic arts, did the
drift away from my major earlyon and then somehow ended up in
in an executive level at a bigcorporation in the construction
(11:05):
industry.
But it never stopped my chasingand the left and the travel in
fact was great because I got tosee a lot of places I would
never have gone to and meet alot of people I would never have
met.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
So that's some lot of people I would never have met.
I'm going to ask you some moreabout that in just a second.
But I want to know who are yourtarget customers, because if
you'd asked me before we startedtalking, I would have said the
money's on weddings.
I'm not hearing anything likethat.
So like who is your bread andbutter?
Well, and you know a car.
Speaker 3 (11:40):
car photography is not unlike wedding photography.
The emotional attachments hugeand it's very deep, and so some
of those are those conversationsyou would have with a wedding
photographer, trying tounderstand you and your
interests and your hobbies andso on.
It's no different, it's justthat that's where that passion
lies and partly too, because ofmy passion, it positions me
(12:04):
different from many otherphotographers, and that's
important to me too.
There's, you know, I have aniece that is one of the
greatest, uh, seniorphotographers in the world, but
I told her I could never do whatyou do, and she is as good as
(12:26):
you get.
And she looks at me and shesays I have no way to do what
you do.
So it's how you see the worldand she's just magical the way
she connects with high schoolseniors.
Um, you know.
So it's passion, you know,certainly.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
So you don't really care who finds you.
You're speaking to the magazineeditorial manager, who's
looking for a photographer, allthe way down to the collector.
Speaker 3 (12:51):
Yeah, and I'm involved in a lot of the car
clubs and so on.
We do a lot of and I'massociated with a lot of
community stuff that we do forcharity, children's hospital and
so on.
We do a lot of and I'massociated with a lot of
community stuff that we do forcharity, children's hospital and
so on.
So that base is broader thanyou would think and in fact
Northern Colorado's populationof car enthusiasts is huge.
(13:13):
For relatively small populationwe really have a lot going.
But also I've been able toconnect through some of the
bigger shows with collectors.
There's a surgeon in Texas who'svery well known for collecting
really fabulous cars and thenyou see him all the time buying
(13:35):
cars at Barrett Jackson.
So that was one where I met amechanic who was restoring a
very unusual car for him and sothat was a connection.
That's produced stuff and thenof course then the referrals
from there.
But it's really the passion ofthat hobby and that keeps me
(13:57):
into it.
But besides the car thing it'salso travel.
I traveled for 40 years onbusiness but I cannot stop
traveling now.
I had back surgery a month anda half ago I'm losing my mind
right now from boredom so I wascleared to drive, so I can go
out now.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
Scuba diving is probably great for whatever was
going going on with your back.
Speaker 3 (14:22):
Oh, yeah, yeah, and you know it's, it's it's like
like a lot of us in my, myvintage, uh, the parts are
breaking down from time to time.
So you know it's it's okay.
But the photography, uh I againback to your original question.
A lot of it started withcrayons and fine art media all
the way through, and sosometimes people say, well, how
(14:44):
do you see that?
Well, sometimes what I see issomething that reminds me of
Georgia O'Keeffe or any of theImpressionists.
I mean, there's ways to seethat, and that's also now.
I've evolved and it's veryexciting.
As digital photography came on,that was an interesting thing to
(15:09):
transition to.
But also the technology now isso incredible and so I'm doing a
lot more so incredible, and soI'm doing a lot more digital
artwork, or digital photographyartwork.
In fact, I'm working on somethings right now for a client
that he wants some justbasically, it would be a car
(15:30):
that doesn't exist, you knowdeveloping something that he
likes, and so we'll see wherethat goes.
But so there's that too, thatit kind of gets your juices
going, because I wished I were40 years younger, because it is
so exciting to see what's goingon with it.
Speaker 1 (15:49):
Is the group travel?
Speaker 2 (15:50):
thing that you're doing a separate business, or
you just.
Speaker 3 (15:53):
Well, it actually.
My wife was a teacher and sheretired and she used to scuba
dive and she said I need to finda way to scuba dive after I
retire.
So she helped High Plains Scubain Fort Collins, set up their
travel, and so she and I takegroups traveling around the
(16:17):
world.
There are also we have otherother group leaders, but that's
become a big part of theirbusiness is scuba base trips.
Sometimes they're scuba will bepart of it and there will be
other things to see.
We had one last year that tookus all over the Western Pacific.
(16:38):
So you know, that's kind of howthat started.
But, like the river, raftingwas not something the scuba shop
identified with.
But what we've created is wehave a group of adventurous
travelers, and so when we didthe Grand Canyon the first time,
(16:58):
we reached out to these peopleand said what do you think?
And boom, now we fill two boats, we take 24 people down there
for six days and it's alife-changing experience for a
lot of people.
If you haven't done it, yeah,but so that kind of drove it
(17:19):
we're both pretty adventurous bynature.
Speaker 2 (17:20):
Who would want to let a professional photographer
plan their excursion?
I mean, you know it's bound tobe beautiful if you planned it.
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (17:29):
And it's.
You know, travel broadens youso much.
We had not been to the WesternPacific until about probably six
, seven years ago, and Indonesiais the most stimulating country
I've ever visited.
It's hard to even explain it,but from an artistic and visual
(17:55):
standpoint it's just anunbelievable place.
And so we're finding more as weget further into some of these
places.
But we have one divedestination, Missoula, that
takes 22 hours to get to.
It's an abandoned Japaneseshark finning camp to.
(18:21):
It's an abandoned Japaneseshark finning camp and because
of the distance, the environmentis absolutely pristine in and
out of the water, and so whenyou take someone and they're
swimming with a ocean going searay that's got 16 feet wide fins
, you know it's thrilling stuff.
Speaker 2 (18:41):
Michael, please tell our listeners one thing that
they should absolutely rememberabout stills life photography.
Speaker 3 (18:49):
I think if there's something to remember is just in
a very simple way, is is ifyou're looking at having someone
to photograph or to takephotography for you, I think
understand what we talked abouthere.
I'm not a senior photo guy, I'mnot a wedding photographer and
(19:10):
probably would be terrible atboth, but I am very.
I like to be very engaged withclients and and really
understand.
Sometimes it may not goanywhere and that's okay,
because ultimately, if what wecollaborate on produces what you
want and you're proud to haveit on your wall, we've both won.
(19:32):
We're fine.
But to chase just to chasebusiness for business, no,
that's.
That's not Not driving me, atany rate.
But but if you came to me andsaid I've got this really cool
thing or we have an oldfarmhouse in Kansas that we'd
like to have you photograph,sign me up Absolutely now, tell
(19:53):
me about it and who lived there.
So it's very personal.
I really, otherwise, grab youriPhone, take a picture and put
it on your wall.
It's okay, you know I'm notoffended, it's, you know, but
but it's really about vision andI think that's the difference
between myself and many othersis, to me, it's the story first
(20:13):
and the product is the result ofthe story, and if we don't
cover the story well, or I don'tengage you like I should, the
results won't be as good as theycould be.
So it's kind of an interestingprocess.
Speaker 2 (20:26):
I feel like we could do one of these on every work
project you've ever done.
In fact, have you ever thoughtabout doing a podcast?
Speaker 3 (20:33):
Well, you know, I've given some thought to that,
because there are.
You know, not to bore you todeath, but I have twenty some
thousand photographs of all overthe place.
But also I have the stories.
The one of the CubanThunderhead is a fabulous story,
some of the Grand Canyon stuff,and sometimes too.
(20:57):
I had an accidental successrecently and it's become very
popular.
I was working in the garden andI walked in and my hands were
all torn up and an orchid hadfallen off into onto the floor
in our atrium.
I picked it up and I looked atmy torn up hand and this
(21:20):
beautiful orchid and that is apowerful, powerful photograph
because it captured the beautyand the beast, because his hand
is reaching around it, and sothe hand is all done in black
and white and the orchid is donein its color, which is kind of
a light pink.
So those are the kind that didI plan that?
(21:41):
No, it's one of my favoritesthough, so that's.
You know that would be one.
You wouldn't come to me forthat.
But if I were doing a show andI do a number of different shows
and exhibits that's one that alot of times people go.
That's really, really cool.
You know, I got that story.
It's beauty and the beast it'syou know.
(22:02):
And so you know a lot ofcreative stuff is a good
accident, you know so.
Speaker 2 (22:06):
Michael, how can people find you online?
What are all the ways thatpeople can see your work online
and discover you online?
Speaker 3 (22:12):
The website is stillslifenet stillslifenet
without the apostrophe.
And then I'm also on Facebookunder Michael Still, but also I
have another page that'sprimarily automotive.
It's Still's Life ClassicAutomobile Photography, so you
(22:33):
can.
If it's car oriented, that'swhere you want to look, and I
post a lot on there from, so youcan look through all kinds of
things.
The website is a bit morecompact, mainly because I just
haven't put the time into tokeep it up like I should.
But those will be more personalprojects or they will be not so
(22:53):
much automotive, some of thatbut there'll be more landscape,
a lot of stuff from thesouthwest, from the deserts.
So now, that's what.
That's a good place to find me,and then you want people
calling you by phone absolutely,yeah.
Yeah, my number is three zerothree eight.
Two nine zero three three seven, and I suggest that's a good
(23:17):
way.
Or send a text and I guess toprepare you for the call.
It'll take a few minutes and Ithink it's just let's see if
we're a good fit.
If we're not a good fit, Iprobably won't do the great job
for you that I should do.
So we'll have a conversationand you may feel like okay, or
(23:38):
yeah, this is exciting, I have astory.
I didn't know I had a story, solet's tell that story.
And I tend to tell people.
I try to look at your projectlike it's a magazine article.
Speaker 2 (23:51):
I see that so well, michael, we wish.
We really appreciate you beingon the show and we wish you and
stills photography or stillslife for the very best moving
forward.
Speaker 3 (24:04):
Thank you, I appreciate the time today.
Speaker 1 (24:07):
Thank you for listening to the good neighbor
podcast.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go to GNP.
Gnp, fort Collinscom,that'spfortcollinscom, or call
970-438-0825.
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