Today we’d like to introduce you to Michail Moore-Warneke.
Hi Michail, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I’ve always loved photography and the stories you can tell through images. Growing up, I watched my mom document our childhood on film, and I picked up a camera myself at 13. From there, I just kept upgrading my gear and learning as I went. For a long time, photography was just a hobby. That changed two years ago, after we had our third child. I was eight months pregnant and knew I couldn’t return to working in restaurants. I told myself I’d give photography one year—to see if I could turn it into a profitable business. If not, I’d move on.
As that one-year mark approached, I hadn’t made much money, but I had built a decent portfolio. Still, with three kids, I didn’t have the luxury of chasing a dream without an income. I went back to working at a restaurant and took on cleaning jobs to support my family. I was devastated. I was so in love with photography, and I desperately wanted to serve my community and make an impact through my work.
Thankfully, my husband encouraged me to keep going. So, I am—still at the beginning, still building, slowly. But I’m in love with what I do.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Absolutely not a smooth road—haha. I’m a perfectionist and incredibly hard on myself. If I put in effort and don’t see immediate improvement, I get frustrated and push myself even harder. I’m mostly self-taught, so progress has been slow. I’m also not someone who learns well from YouTube videos—I need a real person guiding me through things.
Early on, I realized that if I wanted professional-looking images, I had to learn to shoot in manual mode. So there I was, recovering from a C-section, breastfeeding my newborn and reading everything I could in the middle of the night, trying to figure out how to fully control my camera. Eventually, I hired someone for just a few hours to walk me through manual mode, and that was the turning point. I finally started seeing real improvement in my work.
At the time, I was (and still am) raising young kids, so the only time I had to work on photography was literally at midnight or 3 a.m. That’s when I poured into it—learning, editing, building the foundation of my business. And honestly, learning how to use a camera was just one small part of this journey. I’m still figuring out how to run a business, market myself, and grow in a sustainable way. It’s been anything but easy—I am incredibly burnt out most of the time, but I don’t want to quit.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I do mostly lifestyle photography, and honestly, I haven’t settled into a niche yet. I’m still exploring, trying different things, and discovering what truly lights me up. What consistently draws me in is photojournalism and documentary-style photography. I’m especially moved by black and white images—there’s something so raw and emotional about capturing people simply living their lives. I’m kind of obsessed with the beauty of ordinary family life.
I think that love comes from my own childhood. My mom documented everything—our muddy feet, barefoot adventures, helping with crops on the farm. We had a hard, troubled childhood in many ways, but it was also incredibly beautiful, and she captured it in a way that made it feel rich and real and tangible. I got to live that, and now I want to help others see the beauty in their own everyday lives. Whether their life is quiet or chaotic, simple or layered—I want to show people the life they’ve built, and how meaningful it is.
Something I’m working on now is a long-term project documenting the lives of Midwest farmers. It’s slow to get off the ground, but I’m deeply passionate about telling the story of the farm-to-table lifestyle through images—and eventually through video. I want my work to feel timeless, relatable, and honest. I want it to mean something.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
Hmm…maybe that I am super insecure and antisocial. Haha I am trying the ‘fake it till you make it’ right now. I have pretty bad social anxiety but at the same time I really love people- especially women!! I recently got involved in the birthing community and I just love the strength of women. There are no words to describe the power of women.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://michailmoorephotography.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michailmoorephotography/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michailmoorephotography
