Meet Michael Sterling Photography in New Hampshire Seacoast

Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Sterling.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Michael. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I have been taking photographs since I was a teen. My work career was in managing development of worldwide websites for large corporations. While working in NY City, I took number of black & white courses at the New School and at the International Center for Photography. I studied darkroom technique, street photography, and seeing creatively. When I started a family, the camera went away and came out most often during vacations and family milestones.

When my children were grown and out of the house, my wife and I moved from Connecticut to Portsmouth. For me, one of the ways to get involved in my new community was to join a local camera club. Over the past 10+ years, my participation evolved from the club to becoming a juried member of the NH Art Association, and joining the NH Society of Photographic Artists, where I am the current President.

With more time after retirement, I have had wonderful opportunities to photograph special events. These included: the Boston-Portsmouth Air Shows (with press credentials, I got to fly on a refueling flight for the Blue Angels, and to photograph the Army Golden Knights parachute team from an open door at 12,000 feet), the annual TEDx Portsmouth event, and the annual New Hampshire Film Festival.

I have also been taking portraits of families, high school seniors, and local businesses. My wife and I are fortunate to have had jobs which enabled us to take major overseas vacations every couple of years. Meeting people from other lands and cultures helped me overcome shyness in photographing strangers and made it easier become a portrait photographer back home.

My work is represented in the permanent collections of the Exeter, NH Chamber of Commerce and Optima Bank and Trust in Portsmouth. Photographs of the New Hampshire seacoast are hanging in the Washington, DC and New Hampshire offices of U.S. Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The photographic community in and around the New Hampshire seacoast is a close-knit and sharing group. So, it was easy to network, share experiences, and learn. The bumps for me were threefold: (1) making the transition from black & white film to digital photography. I am self-taught, with a few classes along the way for post-processing on the computer. While I have a good working knowledge, one can always learn more! (2) After retirement, I debated opening a small photography business. However, having worked for 30+ years, I decided to earn photographic income where I could, but to not make it full-time second career. That has worked well. I sell photos at exhibits and local shops, and do portraiture, and give lessons, all by word of mouth. (3) Defining a new direction for a body of work to pursue and keep me continually motivated. I will continue to take portraits (and get back to street photography which I learned in NY City); my other current project is black and white photographs of what some people call abandoned buildings and I like to call ’empty spaces’. It is important to me to capture these structures before they disappear. This includes old factories and mills, old forts, and historical restorations such as Canterbury Shaker Village here in New Hampshire, and Mystic Seaport in Connecticut. Aside from project work, I enjoy photographing Portsmouth and environs. However, rather than repeat the iconic images of lighthouses and tugboats, I concentrate on capturing dramatic lighting at sunrise, sunset, and fog.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
I am not a full-time business. Rather, I like to work with people on a custom basis to meet their needs for photography. If a portrait session, I always meet with the subject (and parents if students) beforehand to get to know them and determine what kind of image/location would be best. I’ve also recently started providing one-on-one training for people new to photography or who want to do more with the camera they have.

I am most proud of the satisfaction that people have with the photographs and teaching I provide them.

What were you like growing up?
Growing up, as I mentioned, I was shy and introverted. Giving presentations to large groups in work and photographing foreigners, high school seniors, models, and small businesses brought me out of my shell! About the time I entered high school, I took up photography. It was a primary interest. Growing up in Brooklyn NY, I was a big baseball fan when the Dodgers were still there. (Now, it’s Red Sox all the way!)

Contact Info:

• Email: michaelsterlingphotography@gmail.com
• Website: michaelsterlingphotography.com

Image Credit:
Photo of Michael Sterling – credit ‘Peter Sterling’

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