I'm so happy you are here!
My name is Micheile which looks more complicated than it is. You simply pronounce it ‘mee – shell‘. I’m a Californian gone Dutch that moved to The Netherlands more than 25 years ago with my now thirty-something daughter. These days I live with my boyfriend Ivo, and our two cats, Pandora and Neko in the city I love, Rotterdam.
I see compositions everywhere I look. Albeit in the metro, the grocery store, or a daily walk in the park. I want to photograph it all. Topics I often photograph are travel, food & nature. My visual stories are a slice of my life —and yours if you’re interested in a collaboration.
My photography journey so far.
Do you recognize that feeling? You take a photo of something but it looks nothing like the photos you love, and pin on Pinterest? That’s what got me started on my journey to take better photos. I’ve learned so much already, but it’s been a slow journey! I’ve always had this thing with sharing things, whether that is my free stock photos, or knowledge I have. I used to help people with their WordPress websites (for free), and now I’m excited to pass on the resources I discover that are helping me to take more successful images.
This journey started years ago when I began shooting interior photos for my former blog, Vintage Rose Brocante. My daughter Cierra, a naturally talented photographer would take photos of the same subjects as I did, but her photos looked nothing like mine. I wanted to find out why, so I dissected my work, and compared it to hers. I was in awe of her stunning compositions, she knew how to find them —the angle, the focus & depth of field. Another thing I noticed was her understanding of the camera settings. She learned the basics, something I hadn’t yet to do.
Eventually I took some photography classes at the local community college here in Rotterdam. Then came Covid-19. I started to dabble at food photography, which I found so difficult, because it is. It’s quite possibly one of the most underestimated forms of photography. I spent months trying, and was happy with the progress and craved more. I spent hours binging Joanie Simon “The Bite Shot” playlists on You Tube, and reading and watching just about everything to try and satisfy my craving for food & still life photography.
From ‘how to shoot food’ books, You Tube tutorials, workshops with the likes of Eva Kosmas Flores and Bea Lubas teaching, and months of practicing I’ve come a long way, but still have a long journey ahead of me. My journey started slow, but in this last year it has accelerated and been quite exciting. On Unsplash, I have given away more than TWO MILLION photos. I was at 396 thousand downloads in February 2020 when I sat a goal to improve that number that was achieved over a 3 year period. Within a year that amount increased by 2.037.090!!!
Why a photography blog when you're still learning?
No, I’m not an instructor, or a professional with a huge portfolio. I’m simply an amateur with a passion for photography —and I want to share my journey and favorite resources with you!
01
Composition
Learn to take more successful photos. Find tutorials for learning tethering, styling, composition techniques.
02
Natural Light
Learn how to study light, and manipulate it. Tools and tips for shaping the light using diffusers, and other tools.
03
Camera Settings
Discover what’s helped me take sharper images. Learn to shoot motion, and get that dreamy bokeh in your photos.
GET TO KNOW ME BETTER
CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT...
01
Family
I live with my partner Ivo in Rotterdam, and have a grown daughter, Cierra ♥
We’ve got two happily, and spoiled black cats that we adore. Neko & Pandora ♥
02
My camera
My Canon EOS 550 D broke in early 2021, and it was serendipity. We replaced it with a Canon 6D Mark ii, and it is now my best friend. I love using a full frame camera! I don’t leave home without it ♥
03
Flowers
I love flowers. Whether in a garden, a vase, a painting or lying in frame on my photo background. I ♥ flowers! If I had my way I’d have a garden full of dahlias, and a delivery of fresh flowers every week.
