Michael was born and grew up in Ingolstadt, north of Munich, in Germany in 1972.  Throughout his years growing up, he yearned to explore the outdoors.  Enjoying nature during every season helped create an appreciation for color, texture and contrasts.  All of these elements found themselves in Michael’s heart and soul.  When attending schools, he could not wait to be outdoors.  In the winters he would spend hours traversing through snow-covered hills, sledding, exploring and enjoying the quiet solitude a snowstorm would bring. 

His youth was filled with creating miniature landscapes in yards and playgrounds.  Legos became sites where homes and gardens were constructed.  He relished creating landscapes for 1/72 scale train scenes.  The combination of manmade shapes and natural-looking little towns and hillsides were a joy to design and build.  Upon arriving in the United States at the age of 11, a whole new world opened to the boy.  The vastness of the country both enticed and intimidated him.  It was years before he could grasp even just part of the beauty this country had to offer.  Always appreciating natural beauty and looking to solitude through his teenage and college years, he moved from southern California to the central coast.

After college, earning a bachelor’s in History with an emphasis on California history, he began life as a young family man and designing and creating landscapes for clients throughout the central coast of California.  The beauty of the Central Coast grew on the young man while running a thriving construction business and being blessed with an amazing family life.  His goal in landscape design was to first listen to his clients, then incorporate the appreciation he had for the beautiful natural landscape of the central coast.  Much time and effort were given to adopting a native planting palate, complimenting a client’s residence or business. 

During his thirties and forties, Michael developed a love for photography; his focus on the beauty of the central coast.  The images were not just a representation of what the naked eye could capture, but the little hidden gems this small part of the world had to offer.  Michael relished capturing images that were almost hidden to the naked eye or in the brisk footprints of the ordinary passerby.  A bee in a flower often inspired beautiful color and texture.  In time, Michael combined his love for history and photography, often identifying beautiful doors, colorful windows, signage…things that gave one a sense of capturing things of the past, beautifully preserved.  For Michael, photography is a gift from one person to another who may not have had the opportunity to be in the same place at the same time.  He continues to live and thrive on the Central Coast with an abundance of perspective.