About
Mike Moats is an international award-winning, professional macro photographer from Sterling Heights, Michigan. Mike’s love of photography, which started out as a hobby in 2001, has since evolved into a full-time business. In addition to creating his own images, Mike added “Close-up/Macro Photography” workshops into the mix in 2006, and he now also makes speaking appearances at photo conferences nationwide, leads intensive Macro Boot Camps around the country, and now has an online Macro Photo Club to assist photographers with their macro goals.
Recruited as a member of the Fuji Pro Talent Team in 2006, Mike is also honored to be a Tamron “Image Master” and a Vanguard Pro. He has won numerous local, national, and international awards. Mike’s first book, Tiny Landscapes, was released in 2008, and his images and how-to articles have been published in various magazines, including Outdoor Photographer, Nature’s Best Photography, Shutterbug, PC Photo, Nature Photographer, Photo Life, Whisper in the Woods, and Michigan Fish and Game Finder; in photography collections such as the North American Nature Photography Association’s (NANPA’s) Expressions book and the Pure Michigan tourism companion; and in various corporate collateral, including on the Tamron USA blog and in Fujifilm newsletters.
Email: mgmoats@yahoo.com,
Website http://www.tinylandscapes.com
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You’re work is amazing! Its truly inspiring to see how quickly you gain experience and recognition which was well deserved. Its nice to find other Michigan Photographers since i currently live in East Lansing!
Thanks Allison, its been a lot of fun so far.
Hey mate I love your photography, its a hobby of mine aswell, im no where near as good as you though 😛 obviously, since I have only been into it for about a year! Keep up the good work, I think your work is very unique and it inspires me.
Hello from Scotland!
Hey Mike, Your pictures are absolutely stunning. I am totally awed by them and you’ve inspired me inspired me to take it up again. I am 54 years young and did photography in my 20’s. When I was cleaning my closet the other day I ran across my old (broken) Cannon AE-1. Now we are in the digital age!!! What kind of camera do you use? Sending you warm greetings from sunny San Jose, California! Peggy
Thanks Peggy, I use a Fuji S5 Pro camera and most all of my images are shot with a Sigma 180 macro.
Hi Mike,
I saw the picture you took of the tulip. I thought it was beatiful. Your work if outstanding. I was into photography for almost 3 years already. The best thing about my hobbie was when i saw one of your photo’s and ever sense that day i saved money to buy myself the Canon EOS Pro. I am only 14 very young for my age to be intrested into the work you do. i would be really happy if my idol would back. Well i have to go. Warm greetings Mike from Batesburg, South Carolina.
Amanda
I love your pictures, they really show the beauty of these flowers. I do have a camera, but I’m not good enough to call it a proper hobby jet.
Thanks, tenar72 the more you work at your skills with the camera, and learning to see the art in nature, the better you’ll get.
awesome! i cant believe there are photos :)loved the fall colors and spider webs.
of late, i have been very keen about photography; just gathering the basics 🙂
my last two blog posts were about photography. (in fact the last one was about macros) i’ve some pictures too. after seeing yours am not too sure if i have got the concept right. do visit my blog sometime, take a lot and please let me know 🙂
http://www.vsuvarna.wordpress.com
Just came across your site–love your tide pool photos–such great color and definition.
Will enjoy visiting back here often, as I am becoming more involved with nature photography myself and appreciate your work and advice.
There is so much beauty here please make it easy for others worldwide to purchase the art.
Jere
Thanks Jere, I do send my work out internationally, but you need to contact me for cost of shipping, which is the big problem in some cases.
Hi Mike, you have a wonderful eye for natures art. Amazing that you learned so much in such a short amount of time! Bravo!
My first Photo Exhibit is up right now at the Fort Wayne, In
Botanical Conservatory(I won a contest to get this exhibit).
I see extraordinary things in ordinary objects, so I look forward to learning more from you. I will be at one of your Macro weekends this year!
I love your work!
Mike,
I received the Streetwalker Pro backpack as a Christmas gift. Thanks for recommending it at the September macro workshop. I can’t wait to start using it. Happy Holidays to you and your family.
Janet (jkissnhug)
P.S. Are you on Twitter? If so, what is your screen name?
Hey Janet, that’s great, a very well built pack, you will like it.
Very nice and inspiring work! I love shooting abstracts, and have just started shooting abstracts with macro lens other than flowers & bugs! Love your work! I look forward to learn from you.
Thank you for the nice comment Sonal. Hope to help you become a better macro photographer.
I just started following you this week! I found you through another photography blog by Chris Hansen. I watched your video today about the Tamron 18-270 lens and the first image I saw I was sure was The Henry Ford, and when you confirmed it I figured you must be from around my area. Imagine my surprise when I discovered you are from Sterling Heights, a city just a few away from mine! I am from St. Clair Shores! How exciting to find a photographer from Michigan and right in my area!
Your photography is wonderful! I am quite the novice at this point, though I’ve had my Canon Rebel xTi for many years now. I’ve not had the time to devote to learning all I’d like to about it, but that’s about to change! I certainly hope to be able to take images like yours someday. I do think I’ve got an eye, but I need the technical knowledge to go along with it.
Thanks for your blog!
Hey Kathleen, yes we are neighbors. having the eye to spot good subjects it the key, you can always learn the tech stuff, that’s easy. Take one of my Macro Boot Camp one day and you will get all the info to make great images.
Thanks very much! I will look into it!
[…] first heard about Mike Moats back in 2008 when I had just started getting into Macro Photography. I found him because I was […]
Mike,
What is the group where you can request critiques of your macro photos?
Hi, I am trying to give you a compliment about your photography, but am struggling on how to put it into words. “Amazing” is overused. “Beautiful” comes up short. I think I’ve come up with Remarkable and Inspiring.
Remarkable in the sense that you combine an obvious technical level of skill with an artistic awareness and presentation.
Inspiring for me personally as I am looking to re-invent myself in the world of nature photography after 30 years as a portrait photographer.
I am very bummed out that I cannot attend your macro conference in October in MA-I have a wedding; but I look forward to learning from you at some point in the future.
Best wishes,
Bruce
Thanks Bruce for your very nice comment about my photography. I’m all over the country teaching so hopefully we will meet at one of my macro workshops in 2014.
Yes, me too, I’ll be watching the schedule and locations for your macro photography workshops. Thanks!
Excellent information about poor sales experience with soft focus flowers. Could you describe the types of photos that sell well?
Michael, I will discuss it in tomorrows post.
Thank you.
Hi Mike. I am based in the UK and really like the nature photo’s that you do. I would like to purchase one software program to run alongside elements 11 that I use now. What would you recommend as the best? I am interested in flowers, wood and all things like that. I would be very grateful for some advice. Thanks Paul Redman
Paul, I would get the Nik Software as it has the Viveza for controling some areas of the photo for enhancements like exposure, and colors, and the other program they have that I use alot is Color Efex4. Use my last name in the coupon code box and save 15%.
Thanks Mike for the quick reply. Would you get the complete Nik Software Collection or can I be more selective? I really like the effects that you are getting in the ferns and would like to try and get near that level. Thanks once again Paul
Paul, it is only sold as a collection of seven programs, you can’t purchase them separately.
Hi, love the auto graveyard editing process and would like to learn it . Which of your online courses you offer to learn that editing? thanks
Thanks Annette, I don’t have an editing program yet, but hope to put one together in the future, so check back in a few months.
Hi Mike…I was at your recent workshop in Philadelphia and you said that there was something about making borders in your blog….however, i cannot find this info. could you clarify this for me. this is something that i am struggling with….thank you!
Annick Hughes
Here is a link to a video I did on borders at YouTube.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHIzaoscIQg
I am looking forward to looking through your blog. Macro photography hasn’t been my forte, but you are inspiring. Thank-you for sharing your knowledge 🙂
Hi Mike, I attended your talk at NANPA2017 and it was great. You mentioned a workshop in Cleveland in the fall to sign up for. It was going to be a big space for 100 photographers??
I can’t find a link or mention on your website. Thanks John
Hey John, here is the link to my storefront with the info and to sign up. Glad you liked the super session.
http://www.macrostoreonline.com/product.sc;jsessionid=29D735DB635EF0E38F747A62B4555DC5.p3plqscsfapp004?productId=155&categoryId=1