About
I am a photographer.
Not because I own cameras, or because I have travelled widely, or because my work has been exhibited — though all of that is true — but because seeing is how I have always made sense of the world.
I was born in England and spent much of my life living elsewhere. That distance — between places, cultures, and certainties — shaped my eye early on. I notice what remains when people leave. I photograph what holds memory, weight, and quiet presence.
Photography has never been a phase for me. It has been the constant. I learned my craft in the darkroom, when images arrived slowly and mistakes mattered. That discipline never left me. Even now, working digitally, I photograph with restraint and intention. I wait. I observe. I commit only when something feels true.
My work is not decorative and it is not rushed. I am drawn to atmosphere rather than spectacle, to spaces that carry human traces, to moments that feel unresolved — as life often does. There is nostalgia in my images, but not sentimentality. There is stillness, but not emptiness.
Over the years my photographs have been exhibited internationally, including multiple solo exhibitions, and collected by individuals who chose to live with the work. That matters to me more than scale or trend. A photograph should earn its place on a wall.
I am not interested in constructing illusion. I do not chase novelty. I work with fine art prints and mixed media processes to preserve character, texture, and emotional honesty. What you see in my work is considered, lived with, and intentional.
This website is not an archive. It is a statement of where I stand now — informed by a lifetime of looking, loss, travel, love, and attention.
Take your time.
If an image stays with you, that is enough.
Professional photo & art printing
Do please read through the section on our print process. https://michaeljohnsey.com/highest-quality-printing .
I personally pay great attention to the quality of our finished prints. And we are concerned about the environment: our printing is end-to end carbon neutral. We also of course want our pictures seen in their full glory.
Our fast and friendly service produces the perfect print for you, every time. We use the finest art papers and process to make prints that will take your breath away with their detail, colour accuracy and impact. We guarantee every picture, quality and damage. And they get sent to you post free worldwide (With obvious exclusions).
If you are viewing on a phone, you are missing most of the subtlety of the picture.. These pictures really need to be viewed on a decent laptop or desktop.
I appreciate that you may be on the train going to work and are looking on a phone. Go here to get an idea of the papers its here: https://michaeljohnsey.com/highest-quality-printing . Peace and Love