Artist uses his talents to spotlight St. Clair, aid in its growth

When photographer Peter Michael walks into his studio in downtown St. Clair, a self-made mural greets him and reminds him of his creative purpose: “Capture time.” Perhaps this daily suggestion is what keeps him enthusiastic about his art and community, as he is certainly somebody who goes beyond what he is known for.

Michael took an interest in photography when he was young. His father and grandpa would bring home blank Polaroids from their jobs at Ford Motor Co, and Michael would use them to take pictures of cars and buildings. In fact, he enjoys going on architectural shoots and just returned from Chicago for that reason.

Michael has passion and drive for his craft. Like many photographers, he spends the majority of his time shooting engagements, weddings, senior portraits, and yearbook headshots, but he creates one-of-a-kind scenarios to help his work stand out above the crowd..

“I do unique senior photos, not like the shirt-and-tie pictures. Mine are kind of gritty, in a way. I tell them to wear their favorite clothes, and if they want to wear their cowboy boots, do that too,” Michael says. “If they’re into baseball, we’ll do baseball, but not the traditional style with the bat, the ball, and the person. I try to use their personalities.”

Looking at his website, www.petermichaelphotography.com, there are many examples of this. One photo displayed is that of a ballerina. Your mind might immediately imagine a serene background and a dancer with her hair in a tight bun, eyes closed, looking down at a laced-up slipper and pointed toe. Instead, in Michael’s photo, the dancer is wearing a bright blue costume and poses in front of a damaged, abandoned house.

“I always try to be as creative as I can. I used to draw and paint a long time ago and kind of got out of it, so this is my outlet now,” Michael says.

After attending the College of Creative Studies and often working in Detroit, Michael decided to move his work closer to home in St. Clair where he has lived for 12 years. He knew he wanted to take advantage of the beautiful scenery near the St. Clair River, especially the freighters. His current location downtown in the Riverview Plaza has been open for three summers.

“The boardwalk is awesome for taking pictures, and that’s kind of why I based my studio here. I do a lot of work outside, so if I work with a family, I just go down to Palmer Park,” he says.

Although St. Clair provides an easy, natural backdrop, Michael is constantly looking for unique locations and new ways to photograph.

Michael is always on the hunt for new angles and even uses drones for some of his work, including a scene that was part of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" in Marine City when Charlie and the crew break through the top of the factory in the glass elevator. He heard the audience "ooh" and "aah" at his footage, and he says that response is the most rewarding part of his job.

When working in Detroit, he likes to shoot abandoned locations. Once, he shot in the Michigan Theatre. He was photographing Haley Kielbas of Port Huron there. She played her flute during the shoot, and since the venue is across the street from Comerica Park, curious passersby started walking in and listening.

“Pete provided unique locations and poses that set my senior pictures apart from the rest. I’m someone that absolutely hates getting my picture taken. However, Pete took more time with me in comparison to my other friends’ photographers and made the whole experience stress-free and fun,” Kielbas remembers.

While Michael is well-known and may be the guy who took your son’s yearbook portrait, what his clients may not know is that his role in the community goes beyond photography. When he started his brick-and-mortar studio in downtown St. Clair, he had a lot to learn.

He would look into the plaza where a fountain had just been built and saw an opportunity.

“I’m a photographer, so I have to be a people person. When I got there (downtown) the first thing I thought of was how we could get the community back together,” he says. “Let’s try to create something where we bring the community together and keep them here compared to going out to other areas.”

It was that day the Slow Cycle and Paddle was born. It now boasts around 100 participants who meet up every week in the summer at the plaza to ride bikes and kayak together. Kickoff this year is 10 a.m. June 4 at Drake Park in Marine City.

“That pretty much is what we do for fun now, and by doing that, I get to know the community and show everybody around,” he says.

Michael says when he opened his doors three years ago, there wasn’t much retail or anything aside from restaurants in town, but he sees a lot of upcoming strengths with the War Water Brewery expansion and the recent purchase of the St. Clair Inn. He describes St. Clair as a booming summertime destination nowadays.

Michael’s work takes him everywhere, but he is proud to call St. Clair home.