Michael Berman was born in 1967 and grew up in Washington, DC and its suburbs. While in high school, he discovered the music of Dischord records, an independent punk rock record label. Dischord’s anti-corporate D.I.Y. ethos (and great bands) influenced Michael and inspired his drive to create.

In the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, during and after attending NYU, Michael spent nearly every spare cent he had on photography. His photos documented life in NYC - and his life there: anonymous people in public as well as intimate portraits and candids of friends and family.

In ‘99, Michael began a career as a photographer, working for community papers in Brooklyn, and then the New York Daily News. He then worked freelance, photographing for numerous newspapers and magazines, restaurants, big brands, small shops, schools, and non-profits.

During all of his time as a freelancer, he also continued to create his own work: New York, family & friends, still life, street, portraits, and travel (especially Italy).

Since 2017, Michael has been working on ‘99 Snapshots, a documentary film and photography series about a set of New Yorkers he randomly met and photographed in 1999. Some of the then-and-now photos from the project are posted here, and the film has its own ramble of a website here.

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CLIENTS INCLUDE
Editorial: New York Times, Washington Monthly, New York Daily News, the Guardian, Eating Well, Edible Brooklyn/Manhattan, book publishers DK Publishing & Little Bookroom
Commercial: PNC Bank (Marca), AstraZeneca (Digitas), American Express (Digitas), Hormel Foods, Lay’s Potato Chips, Sprint (Digitas), Stouffer’s Lasagna (JWT) Food: Peter Luger Steakhouse, Table 87 Pizza, Woojirip restaurant, Dean & Deluca, Alma restaurant, the Kati Roll Company, Fruit Bliss, Scott’s Pizza Tours
Non-profit/education/small business: CityMeals on Wheels, The NYC Department of Education, Center for Employment Opportunities, COPD Foundation, On-Ramps, League of Conservation Voters, Flagship Foundation, Brooklyn Arts Council, Manhattan Country School, Carleton College, and Dartmouth College