I was born in 1984, have lived in California all of my life, and currently reside on California's central coast. Growing up, I was always drawn to different arts. I played in the band during elementary and middle school, and during high school I focused mainly on lead pencil artwork, usually various automobiles. I remember always wanting to take a photography class, but since it was a choice between that or art, I chose art class. My introduction to photography was in 2007, when a relative bought me a Minolta 400si film SLR from a pawn shop. It came with a 35-70mm kit lens that produced some nice images, and I stuck with that camera until 2008, when I upgraded to my current setup. In the Spring of 2009, I chose to take a class in black & white photography, which is where I learned to do the hand printing. By the end of that class, I had aquired my own complete darkroom setup to do my own printing at home.
In the Summer of 2009, I made the decision to start selling my work, and started with a booth at a local farmers market in Pismo Beach. Since then, I have gained experience in selling a variety of my prints, ranging from 5"x7" prints at the farmers markets to framed 20"30" prints for professional offices. I am always seeking out new and interesting subject matter for my photos, which mostly focus on the coastal landscape, but I also enjoy working in other areas which include portraits, sports, and street photography.
All images on this website are copyright of Dustin Michelson