(Above) Photo Credit: Justin Coy

I’m Mike Balonek, a nature and portrait photographer and filmmaker from Toledo, Ohio. I’ve had a camera in my hands on and off for over 20 years—and on a regular basis for the last ten. I now work professionally and have had my nature photography published in several magazines.

I discovered photography in March of 2002 on the tops of Alaskan mountains. Armed with a primitive digital camera, I wanted to share the scenery of Juneau—where I resided at the time—with my friends and family back home in Ohio. It took many years since then to realize that I didn’t just enjoy photographing the natural beauty around me, but that it was actually a meditative and healing art form that allowed me to meld my passions for art, nature, and technology. Eventually I began to crave it and I became hooked.

I find that photography not only brings me closer to nature, it forces me to pay attention to the minutest details I would have normally missed. It also allows me to take my appreciation for nature and put it in a format that I can share with others, showing them beauty in something they may have taken for granted.

​The first time filmmaking began to interest me was in high school, when tasked with doing a presentation, I chose to present my project via a short film. This sparked an interest in me that resurfaced several other times before finally becoming serious in 2019.

The act of creating a film is very enjoyable to me—especially when working with others—and it’s now become a more immersive way to share the same story with my audience that I try to convey through my photography.

The plan for the future is to continue to grow in my skills as a photographer and filmmaker, and who knows, maybe add some other creative talents to my arsenal.

Thanks for reading!

Sincerely,
Mike