MICHAEL ZIEGLER’S life is a passionate, unending quest for great photographic images. “I see the world in rectangles,” he says. “When I’m talking with someone, I automatically put them into a rectangle the way a camera would, and then study how light changes as they talk and move.”

Known for striking black & white and brown-toned prints, Ziegler also has a large collection of color images and thousands more black and white than you see on this current site.

In addition to fine art photography, he also does commercial, portrait and wedding photography. There are thousands of frameable hand-made photo note cards to choose from, many of which are on display on this site. Interesting and unusual people are a major target for his Nikons and Leicas and medium-format Pentaxes, but Ziegler often focuses on tiny, zen-like still lives or sweeping landscapes. “If something needs to be photographed, I do it. Why limit yourself to ‘just’ people, or ‘just’ landscapes?” A graduate of the University of Portland, Ziegler bought his first camera at a pawnshop as a junior in college, and instantly fell in love with photography. He’s had no formal training, never taken a class or workshop. “By the time I found out there was a photography class at the University, I was beyond the basics, so I just kept taking pictures, learning from my mistakes, asking questions of anyone who could help. I was fascinated by the challenge of trying to put a story or a concept or an impression into a rectangle, especially under pressure, when a split second means the difference between a great image and an average one. Besides being impacted by the images of masterful photographers, I delight in the lighting and compositon of such painters as Rembrandt, Vermeer and Caravaggio.”

Ziegler believes the darkroom is the greatest teacher of all. “I wouldn’t dare calculate how many hours I’ve spent the the dark since I began taking pictures. Mistakes jump out at you, and rewards are instant and thrilling beyond description”

Currently he’s working on collections of black & white/sepia California Missions; Highway 101; Barns of the West; Erotic by Nature (tree limbs, sand dunes, etc.) and a limited edition set of prints from Astoria and the North Oregon Coast. For information about a traveling exhibit for the State of Washington's Family Policy Council, a permanent exhibit at the Committee for Children on First Avenue in Seattle, and to see images from the recent Baseball as Art show, and other Puget Sound area permanent displays and upcoming exhibits, please email us at: info@mzig.com.