Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Zeyda
Hi Michael, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I was born and raised in Germany and moved to the US (TX) about 20 years ago.
I studied graphic design in Germany but have been working as a UX designer for various product companies over the past 12 years.
Photography has been an area of interest for me since I got my first camera at the age of 16. A cheap East German brand was the only thing I could afford. In the early days I mainly photographed landscapes and nature, set up a black and white darkroom in my parents’ guest bathroom which they didn’t appreciate and eventually I had to move it to into a corner of the basement laundry room.
Before starting design school in Germany, I was able to join a commercial photo studio as an assistant and was fortunate enough to get my hands on every format from 35mm, to medium and large format cameras.
Later, during my professional career part of my role as an interactive designer was art directing product photography for Dell Computers here in Austin.
For the past few years, I’ve been building a body of work exploring contemporary authentic portraiture. I enjoy working with people in order to create something that has soul and feeling and an expression that makes you look and keep looking.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Since I have a full time career as a UX designer I only offer photography on a freelance basis. That is actually my preference because it allows me to explore anything I like when it comes to photography and I don’t have to answer to anyone. From what I’ve seen here in the area I get the impression that it would be very challenging to make a living as a full time working photographer as I see a lot of people trying to do it. I’m fortunate that I like my design job so I don’t feel the need to switch to photography to make a living. In my opinion design and photography complement each other nicely.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am currently focusing on modern authentic portraiture. I have also done beauty photography and will expand in that area over the coming weeks and months since I want to be working more with a team, like makeup artists and stylists. I also enjoy helping models with building their agency portfolio. It’s a great way to meet new people and can lead to collaborations on artistic projects. What I’m most proud of is that so far no one has complained about their session. I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I started photographing people in the studio and it is very rewarding to hear that everyone had a lot of fun and people love their pictures.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I consider myself a calculated risk taker and believe it’s worth taking risks to achieve something you truly believe in. But I also think that nowadays it is getting harder and harder to be successful as an artist for example. Going back to what I said earlier about having a full time career that I like which allows me to practice and offer photography on a freelance/free time basis. Leaving my current career to pursue photography full time would be too much of a risk for me since I don’t think the Austin area provides enough opportunities considering how expensive Austin has become. When I see some of the rates other photographers charge I can’t help but think they’ll be out of business or completely burned out within the next couple of years or so.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mzeydaphoto.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mzeydaphoto/
Image Credits
Michael Zeyda
