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 our 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.
To help balance my nomadic soul, I co-reside in both Asheville and Chicago. 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.