Hi, how's it going? My name is Mike, and I think of myself as a relaxed, laid back photographer who tries to create a fun environment to for the shoot, even in the face of adversity.

While Concept, Fashion, Motion, and Music areas are my favorites areas to shoot, I do shoot many different types of styles and enjoy them all. I specialize in being a generalist. I tend to work on location in natural light most of the time. I frequently supplement this with strobe lighting and reflectors. Certainly I can work with full lighting setups as well when the situation calls for it, and I do own a full setup complete with portable batteries. However, the lighter setups allow for faster setup, tear down, changing locations and going with the flow so I tend to prefer them over studio and complexity.

All aspects of photography and pixel manipulation interest me - though the more creative, unusual, or challenging the better. I consider myself a perpetual student in them. So if you want to try something more edgy, or creative, or post processing challenging just ask and chances are I'll be up for it. And I have more than a few ideas bubbling up from that backlog I call a want-to-shoot-list I'm always adding to as well I'd be happy to share as part of the creative process (a lot of them can be found on my virtual cork board here: http://pinterest.com/michael_paolini/photography-ideas/ ).

Worth saying is I have a full range of Photoshop skills, and all my post processing work is done in-house so the photos remain under my control. Because this is Model Mayhem I also have to add the following: I use all pro-gear and main camera is a full framed sensor so the shots can be blown up very, very large while remaining full quality. Likewise I use color calibration on my camera, monitor, and printing and most importantly I am licensed in the State of Texas as a photographer and pay sales tax every quarter on this business. I'm more than a Guy With A Camera (GWC), I'm an earning photographer.

(Again because it is Model Mayhem) TF Work:
I'm always looking to work with both new and experienced models, who have that certain something, enhance their portfolios and mine or to try new things I wouldn't risk on a paid assignment. So yes I am willing to do Trade For (TF) work if it expands my portfolio, if the concepts or models are very good, if it is in an area I haven't tried working in before or I have new gear to try out, AND above all if team seems fun. Generally in the case of a TF shoot I will be using new (unproven) equipment or techniques - essentially things I would not try on a paid shoot because I am unsure of the results. That is the value of TF for me, pushing my boundaries and adding to my skills base - this means we are not guarantied success on a TF shoot. However, it also means you get to work with a skilled photographer and top notch equipment with the fees waived, More often than not it works out really well (turns out most of the time I've done careful research and a few test shots before hand and most equipment or process works as advertised ;-).

If we do a TF shoot, you can expect to be provided with a between 1 and a few full resolution post processed (and potentially retouched) shots - essentially I share all the shots I post process for myself and my portfolio with you because TF to me is a partnership with shared risk and shared reward. The actual number will depend on the length and more importantly the success of the shoot, unless we discuss a different amount up front (also worth saying for TF I typically don't retouch mediocre images, they need to be great by my standards to start with to earn that additional investment in time). You will be given republishing permission for the images for both Personal and Portfolio use, and I will require you to sign a standard model release up front before the shoot occurs even though it is TF. This means I retrain the full rights to the images (and you will also retain use rights as well).

Portfolio:
If you made it this far - I encourage you to view my Flickr account http://www.flickr.com/siliconprophet (I find Flickr far easier to post to since there are no size and pixel count limits like MM has - so my Flickr account is gets updated a lot more frequently, and with things that aren't always Models. It's a better overall representation of my body of work. I also use a Facebook page - typically Event things go there ( https://www.facebook.com/pages/Michael-Paolini-Photographer/194536540571993 )

Friends Requests:
Models, I prefer to be tagged rather than sent a friend requested if I haven't worked with you before. Call me old fashioned, but I try to reserve friends for folks I actually know in some way. :-) The side effect of this is you are welcome to contact any of the people listed as friends (or in my portfolio) for references.

Lastly, I understand scheduling is tricky and will work with you to accommodate, however cancelations/rescheduling within 48 hours will result in forfeit of the retainer/deposit.

I have a portfolio and tear sheets available upon request - many of those shots are not posted here or Flickr as the customer's own them or has requested they not be posted. You can also see samples of my work hanging in the Austin Airport on, in the Broken Spoke Museum in Austin, in local businesses and magazines, as CD covers for local bands or in SXSW's archive.

Endorsements:
Please note I only friend people I have both worked with and would work with again - if they are on my friends list it is an endorsement for them.

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