About

I appreciate you taking time to browse my website and inquire about my photographic interests.

My passion for photography began at the age of 13.  I had mastered my father’s film camera, learned the peculiarities of slide film and begun exploring the world of Kodak E-4 kits and how difficult it really is to spool film onto those developing tank reels. Despite some failures along the way, I was hooked.

My first SLR — one not loaned to me by family or friends — was the Nikon FM. I cannot count how many rolls of Tri-X and Ilford film I’ve developed and printed in my darkroom. But today I am shooting the digital Nikon D600 and D750.  These are the best cameras I’ve ever had, but I miss the smell of fixer in the morning.

As one can see from this website, my photographic interests are eclectic. You will find a variety of different kinds of images here. Landscapes remain my primary interest. No tree or mountain ever failed to show up as planned. You also don’t have to wait on them to hit a baseball or smile at the appropriate time. There is a nuclear-powered light that illuminates it and on occasion the clouds form the largest soft box in existence.

But as I get older the desire to photograph people has increased. The inspiration of great photographers like Richard Avedon, Douglas Kirkland and Herb Ritts pushes me to shoot more and more portraiture. And my newspaper beginnings still lead me back to photographic story telling, mostly in the deep tones of black and white.

– Michael Duncan

(photo by my friend and photographer Kevin Carver)