Michel is passionate about revealing the beauty of freshwater life and spends much of his time photographing below the surface.
In winter, in calm parts of the River Rhine, Switzerland, fish gather in dense groups. 'I'd got an image in my head of a mass of motionless fish,' says Michel, 'chub, bream, sander ...'and that was the picture he set out to take. So when a mute swan swam into the frame and then a girl on the bridge above began dropping bits of bread onto the water to feed the chub and the swan, he was very frustrated. But then he realized that the swan's rear end actually added to the scene. 'I learned that day,' says Michel, 'not to be so single-minded and to embrace all opportunities.'
Switzerland
Michel has worked as a professional photographer since 1987 and is a member of the International League of Conservation Photographers. In 2011 he launched the Freshwater Project, and over seven years he photographed 40 different and spectacular freshwater environments across the world. Michel has also shown his work in 40 solo exhibitions.
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