McGowan Photo
About
I'm a retired photojournalist whose techniques have been honed by the necessity of getting publishable images every time I pick up a camera. Throughout my career, I've mentored other pros and semi-pros to develop those same habits. What worked during the film days still works for digital shooters seeking to excel in a world of spray and pray amateurs.
My career started in the late 1960s at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Students actually worked in journalism back then, or at least some of us did.
Over the years, I've branched out into art photography, including a stint as a juror for Carolina Designer Craftsmen and a couple of shows at the Butler Institute of American Art.
Today, I live in Tucson, enjoying the sun, the warmth and the wonderful surroundings.
Photography is something that has never let me put it down, and I enjoy infusing the love of the medium into others.
You can find samples of my work on my site, https://www.mcgowanphoto.com/.
For art prints, check out https://michael-mcgowan.pixels.com .
Photography has allowed me to meet people and go places far beyond my wildest imagination. Janis Joplin was wildly profane, funny and feisty. Aimee Mann talked my ear off, including spilling the beans on her first Til Tuesday album. BB King was a joy to hear and utterly expressive to photograph. Pianist Joe Augustine was such a gentleman to invite me into his house to shoot. The interactions, the travel, the vast patchwork of America. Photography has allowed me to enjoy all of it.
Photos and videos
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Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new student?
The first thing we need to do is find out where the student is on the spectrum and where he or she wants to go. I'll provide the hands-on experience needed for a person to see the light, literally, and learn to capture images. In this digital world, I love to let the student be free, but to provide the needed reality checks so he or she can also excel.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
As a journalist, photojournalist, editor and art photographer, I've had exposure to almost every aspect of picture-taking. Decades of one-the-job learning has kept me up with the times, while leaving me an appreciation for classic techniques.
My art credentials include two shows at the Butler Institue of American Art. I've worked for newspapers in North Carolina, Virginia and Ohio. And I've done freelance work for the Washington Post, the Associated Press and UPI.
Literally, I've been under the gun to produce publishable images on a daily basis for more than half a century.