Erica Michelsen

My first experience with photography was in my dad’s darkroom when I was six years old, developing photographs of my older sister and I sledding down our little hill in Vermont. I hadn’t taken the photographs, but I was completely absorbed in the process of achieving the perfect print.

Years later, while attending photography school, I found myself thinking back to those early days in the darkroom. It wasn’t simply nostalgia; I realized how much I had loved the technical side of photography from such a young age. My father was a patient and determined teacher who loved sharing everything he knew about art, and that early attention to craft has stayed with me throughout my career.  It still shapes the way I work today, lighting is my artistic expression and the starting point for every image I create. It’s the first emotion I feel when approaching a project.

Whether I’m shooting lifestyle, beauty, editorial, or advertising, I love collaborating with other creatives and understanding their vision. It’s finding the light that brings that vision to life.