When he was just fourteen, Mike visited Niagara Falls with his parents and sister. During the trip, his father handed him the family camera and asked him to take a picture of the three of them in that iconic location. This was the first time Mike had ever taken a photograph. Two weeks later, when the pictures came back from the processor, Mike eagerly looked through the pile of prints to find the shot he had taken. Once he found it, he knew that his life-long journey as a photographer had begun.

Life often takes unexpected turns. For instance, in school, Mike became interested in photography and joined the camera club. He chose his college major to gain access to the college darkroom. After college, he started working as a darkroom technician and later as a photographic assistant generating architectural and catalog imagery. Eventually, he realized that photography in the "film days" would not provide the financial security he desired and switched his career path to print and publishing.

On his sixtieth birthday and finding himself at the door to "empty nester-hold," his artist wife, Stephanie made the mistake of gifting him a 35mm, entry-level digital SLR camera. Gone were the film and processing expenses. He felt free to enter the realm of photographic experimentation and photograph anything that appeared before him. Photography had become a "free sport!"

Today, more than a decade later, with thousands of hours behind the camera and computer, Mike's arsenal includes multiple high-end digital cameras, one film camera, multiple tripods, a plethora of lenses, lights and software, commercial-grade printers, storage devices, not to mention a large NAS (Network-Attached Storage) device. It has now become obvious, that this is not a "free sport."

In his own words, Mike recently said "After years of playing, I got serious a few years back and now my photography is frequently on display in multiple locations." His work is regularly on display in the Lakes Region Art Gallery in Tilton, NH, where in 2023, Mike's image "Dead of Winter" was awarded First Place in the gallery's 83rd Annual Members Show.

Contact Information:
Email: mmcquade@PhotoPiks.net
Facebook: @Mike McQuade PhotoPiks
Instagram: @PhotoPiks
Vero: @mikemcquade