Michael Muller is an American photographer known for his celebrity and advertising photos. He has photographed portraits of a wide range of actors, musicians, and artists, including Joaquin Phoenix, Robert Downey Jr., Shepard Fairey, Hugh Jackman, and Alec Baldwin. And he has shot movie posters and promotional photos for many big-budget Hollywood movies, such as Iron Man and X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
Michael had a peripatetic childhood: His family traveled to 40 different countries while based in Saudi Arabia. The more young Michael saw, the more he found himself drawn to photography, which was a passion of his father’s.
Michael spent his teen years in Northern California, where he became involved in the snowboarding scene. His first published photos, in fact, were of snowboarding, and he went on to spend five years traveling the world and photographing the sport’s finest athletes.
Eventually, Michael made his way back to Los Angeles, where he experimented with portraiture. In the years since, his photographs have appeared on magazine and album covers (including the 2005 Toni Braxton CD Libra) and in ad campaigns, fashion editorials, and gallery exhibitions.
“I take photographs because it is my purpose,” Michael has said. “My personal mission every time that viewfinder meets my eye is I set out to pull as much energy, personality, and true soul that every person possesses. The word ‘pose’ is not in my dictionary.”
He is also the cofounder, with Jennifer Howell, of Kids Clicking Kids, which teaches photography to children who are suffering from serious illness. The program is administered through Art of Elysium.
Michael is based in Los Angeles. He is represented by Stockland Martel. His artwork is represented by Guy Hepner Contemporary in Los Angeles.
