Photography by Rodolfo Michel

Rodolfo Michel  has passion for photography. These photos are just some of Rodolfo Michel 's work. 

Cities According to Photographer Rodolfo Michel

Though photographer, Rodolfo Michel, is considered a commercial fashion photographer professionally, his artistic vision goes well beyond print ads.  He is drawn to beauty in its various forms. Rodolfo Michel is especially intrinsically drawn to the beauty of architecture and how it lives in a city.

While many photographers focus on cityscapes and universally recognizable buildings and bridges, Rodolfo Michel takes a different approach to discovery, digging into the city and instead focusing on its unique factors.  He thoughtfully searches for its artistic character, finding the architectural lines that define the city.  Rodolfo Michel finds images that personify the space they inhabit. 

For example, Rodolfo Michel photographed a series of benches that, like the people who sit upon them, display a unique sort of character.  Some seem lonely and isolated, while others seem inviting and warm.  In Rodolfo Michel’s photographs, the benches take on the character of that certain space of the city.  The benches represent how a unified purpose can be addressed so differently, much like us, the humans that sit upon them.   

Through exploring and documenting the artistic character of the cities, Rodolfo Michel discovers the connections between form and function, the relationship between human and object. In this way, Rodolfo Michel’s photographs encapsulate a piece of a city’s soul.

In a series of postcards, Rodolfo Michel finds overlooked beauty in various by altering perception through his lens.  His photographs could, on the one hand, be completely personal and, on the other, a brand new experience.  Rodolfo Michel then uses black and white to create contrast and depth. 

In his photographs of cities, Rodolfo Michel creates a juxtaposition of the tangible and intangible.  A city in its majestic form feels to us inhabitants as if we are both connected to and disconnected from it.  And, as Rodolfo Michel shows us, there’s beauty in it all.

Rodolfo Michel Finds Himself In The Darkroom

Before establishing himself as a formidable photographer, Rodolfo Michel spent many years searching for his creative passion.  He initially studied both Zoology and English, but it wasn’t until he enrolled in photography at Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara (U.A.G.) and became a photographer’s assistant that things finally clicked. 

Rodolfo Michel then dedicated his life to the study of photography and photographic experimentation. After spending thousands of hours in the darkroom, his hard work, dedication, and creative ability is paying off.  Rodolfo Michel’s artistic gifts and passions have become his career.           

Photographer, Rodolfo Michel, now has several solo art exhibitions, locally and abroad.  He has access to major events, including: the Billboard Music Awards, the Grammys (both Latin and American), and several movie and music festivals.  Rodolfo Michel has had the privilege of meeting and working with celebrities like popular Colombian pop singer Juanés, actress Bai-Ling, and Grammy Award winning artist, La Mala Rodriguez.    

As a commercial photographer, Rodolfo Michel appreciates both high fashion and hip street wear and has photographed spreads for Flexi, Animal Revolution, LeiMarco, and LOKA.   He also specializes in individual custom portraits and has photographed artistic aspects of cities for postcards.

Rodolfo Michel is an artist and, although he mostly sees life through a lens, that does not limit his art to only photography.  As with any well-rounded artist, Rodolfo Michel expresses himself through various forms, including, but not limited to, his bronze sculptures.  Beyond his commercial photography, Rodolfo Michel photographs unique architecture and design and loves to discover the human form through his photographic emulsions.  

Photographer, Rodolfo Michel, is grateful for the opportunity to do what he loves for a living.  As an artist, he remains true to his vision, exposing beauty in both its polished and raw forms.  Rodolfo Michel looks forward to embarking on his future artistic works, as well as submerging himself in the art of discovery.   

Rodolfo Michel’s Experience Working in a Darkroom

A darkroom is a room used by photographers to develop light sensitive images without damaging them. This room allows the photographer to have complete control over the images’ outcomes and extremely limit the amount of exposure along the way. Rodolfo Michel has spent thousands of hours in darkrooms both while learning the art of photography and while practicing it. During this time, Rodolfo Michel has learned the importance of patience in the execution of photography.

“If you rush an image even just 10 minutes too soon, you may cause the entire project to be in vain,” warns Rodolfo Michel. He has made this mistake a few times, as many beginner photographers do, and it is through this process he has established a method that works best for him:

1. Diligently make a timeline of your process, step-by-step.

2. Allow time for mistakes and interferences.

3. Open your schedule up enough that you are able to take your time in the process and carefully assess the images and their production.

4. Give yourself other work to do so you aren’t sitting on the edge of your seat as the images dry.

These simple four steps have proven successful for Rodolfo Michel’s career and he advises utilizing them in the same format he has if you are a beginner photographer. All good things take time and it is best to know this from the start rather than having to correct your mistakes later! But don’t worry if you do rush an image here or there, states Rodolfo Michel, because these can be used as either reminders of time sensitivity or as reminders of the beautiful process of learning and perfecting your craft. “Never be afraid to make a mistake, just be afraid of not learning from it,” advises Rodolfo Michel.

Advertisement’s Flaws and Benefits According to Rodolfo Michel

Rodolfo Michel has found his niche in commercial photography, often working with developing advertisement images. His career choice has proved fulfilling and beneficial to both himself and others. Because of this, Rodolfo Michel would like to describe the purpose of advertisement photography for the doubters out there!

Over the course of his career, Rodolfo Michel has had people insult his commercial photography career choice, however, he believes it to be more important than most individuals realize. Advertisement is everywhere and becomes more a product of today’s culture with each passing moment. Rodolfo Michel believes people should stop turning a blind eye to advertisement and start encouraging it because it is a document of our world and values. If you want your values to be maintained, encourage them in others. Rodolfo Michel believes the best way to do this is through advertisement itself!

Advertisement photography is often based on the everyday lifestyle of Americans. This mimicry is the best way to relate to their values and beliefs. While Rodolfo Michel does agree ads are highly in-tune with trends, he does not see any wrong in this because it is part of human nature to chase novelties. Rodolfo Michel believes his job as a photographer for advertisement agencies simply allows him the opportunity to represent the best product available and encourage audiences to buy it. He maintains that he wouldn’t represent a company that didn’t share the same principles he believed in and those in which he was raised on.

Rodolfo Michel is an honest, hard-working man that always believes in looking on the bright side. While he does agree some advertisement agencies try to get the best of people, Rodolfo Michel believes in giving the best to people. The most important thing is to be aware of your morals and look for them personified in advertisement, it is then you have your appropriate product!

Rodolfo Michel Describes the Best Way to Assess Your Work

Rodolfo Michel has had a long career in photography and over this time has established a system of assessing his work to ensure he has created the best image he possibly could.

Know Your Strengths

Rodolfo Michel knows he has a way with creating perfect lighting in a shot, however, sometimes he gets hasty in its production and rushes the process. The key is to focus on your beneficial qualities within your work and try to help them cover up your mistakes, if not teach you to stop the habit of making them at all.

After enough times of losing a great shot because of his eagerness, Rodolfo Michel has perfected the quality of patience and allowed his art to form correctly in order to successfully transform the “here and now” into the forever of a photograph.

Recognize Your Weaknesses

The best musicians know when they won’t be able to hit a note the same way that the best photographers know when their camera won’t give them the shot they want. Sure, you could go buy a camera that may or may not help capture that image but it is better to work with what you have and use it to it’s full ability. Rodolfo Michel says it is important to know your shortcomings and develop methods of avoiding them. There is no other way.

Develop a Plan

Rodolfo Michel believes that if a photographer knows the message they want to send in their artwork from the beginning, then all he or she has to do to get there is take the picture. It may be easier said than done, but Rodolfo Michel advises laying out a plan before even taking the camera out of its case so no distractions get the better of your art.

Rodolfo Michel believes these simple checkpoints will allow you to know where your work excels, how it can be bettered, and if you’re on the right track!

Rodolfo Michel Explains How to Take Constructive Criticism

It is very natural to initially get angry when someone criticizes your work. However, Rodolfo Michel advises you to take a step back when you feel this way and assess whether or not what the person is saying is trying to hurt or better your work. If the answer is the latter, then breathe and try to come up with enough strength to discuss the issue at hand. Perhaps it is merely a friend knowing you are capable of doing better and trying to encourage you to do so? Or maybe it is a colleague that admires your work and wants to see you utilize your strengths? Rodolfo Michel says whether it be one of these circumstances or another similar one, you should recognize the outstretched hand and hold on tight because they will help you reach heights you didn’t know you had in you.

Rodolfo Michel is an established photographer ready to take his career by storm but don’t doubt that there haven’t been days when the future seemed a little cloudy and people weren’t afraid to point it out to him. In fact, Rodolfo Michel says this happened more often than he’d like to admit. But the important thing is that he took the words to heart and then put them into motion. It is one thing to be told you can’t take pictures, it’s another thing to be told how you can take them better and then do just that. Rodolfo Michel is now able to say he has started from the bottom, worked hard to succeed, and then worked even harder to come out on top.

If you are willing to hear the flaws in your work and then are willing to erase them, Rodolfo Michel says the next step is to simply continue along the same path whenever nonbelievers show up at your doorstep again, or in front of your lens!