Michael Muller is best known for being a celebrity and advertising photographer with an esteemed range of actors, musicians, artists, activists including Joaquin Phoenix, Robert Downey Jr., Shepard Fairey and Hugh Jackman to mention a few. You’ll see his work grace magazines, movie posters, and album covers.
Michael Muller’s photography subjects started off as snowboarders and musicians, then changed to models when he moved to Los Angeles. Despite doing test shots for 6 models a day, he spent equal amounts of effort with each one “I treated each one like it was the cover of Vogue” explained Muller. As his work gained recognition, his client became more well known.
“I don’t change my attitude because someone is famous. I respect their talent, but I treat them as a real person. We all breathe the same air and we all have the same sun, so let’s work together and make a great iconic picture together.” Had he been appeasing his clients the images would not have the dramatic impact. Certainly the clients surrender themselves to Michael Muller’s craft and let him lead.
Muller, like many other Portrait photography masters traveled around the world as a child. This perhaps explains his drive to spend as much time outdoors as possible when he isn’t in studio. In addition to working with giant personalities, he photographs giant sharks on his spare time. in fact, Muller was so interested in photographing sharks that he designed, developed, and patented his own underwater lighting system.
His unique subject matter serves a second purpose. Michael Muller wants to change people’s attitudes towards sharks. He wants people to respect these great mammals, but he doesn’t want their fear to result in hunting and killing these creatures. Muller has gone as far as documenting shark finning to to help raise awareness of the predicament sharks face.
Michael shares another quality usually found in a master portrait photographer, which is compassion towards humanity and Michael taught photography to children suffering from serious illness, and working for the United Nations and the Nothing but nets campaign to raise awareness and fund the fight against malaria. His portraits are high contrast punchy and modern, but yet subtle and authentic.
