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Artist Biography
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Mike Weber
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I was born and raised in the midwestern states of Iowa, Michigan, and Ohio. I come from a family of travelers though, and every summer vacation found us camping in some new area of the U.S. or Canada. I've always had a great love for the outdoors and open spaces. That eventually led me, after graduating with a degree in Zoology from Iowa State University, to the ultimate open space in the country: Alaska. After several summer-long visits it was clear to me I had found my home. That was 25 years ago, and I've lived here ever since.
I began taking photographs soon after coming to Alaska. At first, like most people, it was simply a way to preserve the memories of the things I had seen. Gradually, I became more and more interested in photography as an art. I get such personal enjoyment from the beauty of the natural world that I wanted to compose and capture on film the best images possible of that beauty, to try to share the enjoyment I feel with others. What I've learned about photography over the years has come through extensive reading, talking with other professional nature photographers, and much trial and error.
I've had the wonderful advantage of living in the midst of the things I love to photograph. A stunning vista has often literally been a step or two out the front door. After spending a number of years as a fishing/natural history guide and carpenter at lodges in Southcentral Alaska and Denali National Park, I met my wife and we began a career, of sorts, as winter caretakers for remote lodges across the state. That typically meant being dropped off by small plane in the fall with all of our provisions for the winter, and picked up again six to eight months later. It meant no phone, no electricity, no running water (unless you consider a flowing river under a foot of ice "running water"), and a woodstove for heat. It also meant few distractions, time to learn about the art and business of photography, and the rare opportunity to see and photograph scenery and wildlife on a daily basis, in different areas of the state.
We're now semi-retired from caretaking other peoples' dwellings because we recently bought land and built a small house of our own. But I can still look out my front window to a view of mountains, glaciers, forests, and rivers.
My photographic library reflects the special fondness I have for Alaska and northern habitats in general. But I also love to travel and I find beauty and inspiration in nature everywhere, from beneath the sea to outer space, and from pole to pole. In most cases I prefer to depict nature the way the eye sees it, with minimal filtration and digital manipulation. And I strive for the highest quality in my fine art prints by using one of the top labs in the country.
My images have appeared in National Geographic and Sierra Club calendars, Alaska Magazine, and various other publications. They will also illustrate a soon-to-be-released book for children, written by my wife, Jen. Jen and I also use my photographs as inspiration in the needlework design business we began several years ago during one of our long, dark caretaking winters.
Thank you for your interest in my work, and enjoy your tour around the Art Exchange online gallery.
Available Works
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