What really got me hooked on photography was when I told my uncle, ‘Hey, I want to go with you. Let’s take pictures outside and see if this is something I really want to pursue.’ And he said, ‘Okay, let’s do it.’
Mike Glatzer
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Mike Glatzer is a professional photographer based in Atlanta who specializes in portrait photography. Mike is recognized for his creative approach and his ability to capture authentic moments that tell a story. His expertise also extends to personal branding and headshots, making him a versatile choice for both personal and professional photography.
In this episode Mike and I talk about:
- How his wildlife photographer uncle lit the photography spark within him
- Being both professional and disarming when it comes to interacting with his clients
- Why generative AI services offered by companies need more transparency to develop consumer trust
& much more!
This was a great conversation with a multi-hyphenated (his words, not mine) portrait photographer and I look forward to more episodes!
Here is a brief look into my conversation with Mike.
Q: What initially inspired you to pick up a camera and start exploring it? Was it your uncle?
Mike Glatzer: It was absolutely my uncle. He’s been a photographer since day one, so I’ve always had photography around me. I got a lot of inspiration from him, seeing all the wildlife stuff he did. At that point, I think he was shooting for National Geographic. He was doing incredible things like photographing the Dead Sea, Red Sea, sharks, and the Galapagos Islands—absolutely crazy stuff.
He took me out to Montauk, New York, specifically Orient Point, and we were trying to photograph osprey, which is this fish hawk with a six-foot wingspan. So we’re on the beach, and I’ve got this dinky little Nikon film camera with a 24 to 100 millimeter variable aperture zoom. My uncle pops down with the latest Canon 1D series body and a 600 millimeter big white lens, and he’s getting awesome shots.
Q: You didn’t immediately jump into full time photography because you have multiple careers. Was photography a side thing for a long time?
Mike Glatzer: Yeah, so for, oh gosh, a while I thought I was going to follow in my uncle’s footsteps and do wildlife or maybe some sports photography because I was an athlete growing up and really enjoyed all of that. Then in college, we had a photography club, and somehow I found myself being the vice president of it. I don’t know why they thought that was a good idea. We started picking up portrait photography, and I was like, okay, portraits sound cool and this is fun. That’s when I started learning a little bit about flash and lighting.
Q: What influences shaped your photography style?
Mike Glatzer: I would probably say theater had the biggest initial influence on that. For anyone who’s a theater fan or has seen theater, the lighting is very big, bold, and colorful. It helps drive the story. You’re using color theory to evoke certain emotions in the audience, and you’re shaping the light in specific ways to create the time of day and a certain mood, again, conveying the story. So I really took a lot of influence from that.
