Mike Makes

Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Mike Makes, Photographer, La Crosse, WI.
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Micheal Calarco
Award Winning Creative Director | Freelance Cinematographer/Video Editor, Published Photographer, Motion Graphics Artist, Drone Pilot, and Social Media Manager | Partner of The Chili Manor, Artsiders, SOUP, and The Rivoli Arts District

06/14/2026

More experiments with the hand made Pringles Kaleidoscope lens attachment but this time with the Lomography 58mm Petzval Lens and a 28mm Kodak Schneider Kreuznach Lens at River City Championship Wrestling Summertime Bruise X.

The amount of community at these events is amazing. If you have never been, you should come out. I only started showing up a year ago and it is always a great time.

Next build with be with real mirror glass. While the plastic mirrors work, they warp too much.

06/11/2026

If you see me with a Pringles can, I am probably doing cool stuff.

I've seen a lot of kaleidoscope style filters out there, but they don't really do what a kaleidoscope actually does. Recently, I saw someone attach one to their camera (if I find that reel again, I will tag them), and I thought, why not me? Most kaleidoscopes are too small to attach to the front of a lens, so I thought I would build one that I could pair with one of my smaller lenses.

The Lavender Project had a show at Popcorn Tavern and thought this would be a good test for it. The mirrors I used are pretty much plastic, so they warp easily and give more of a fun house mirror effect. Focusing far away causes the edges of the mirrors to blur and creates what you see before you.

Should I build a bigger, better one? Or make a video of how I made it? What's a food with a bigger tube?

Stats for nerds:
Canon USA R6MII
Canon USA RF To EF adapter
Fotodiox Inc. EF adapter to Kodak Retina Rangefinder Lens
Pringles Everything Bagel Can
Kodak Schneider Kreuznach 50mm F1.9 Lens

06/08/2026

Let me introduce myself for all those who are like, “Who even is this guy? What does he even do?”

My real name is Mike Calarco, not Makes, contrary to popular belief, even though I answer to both. I have 15+ years in the creative industry, from newsrooms to corporate offices.

But what do I even do? My area of expertise is digital/film photography and video creation. That’s my lane, and where I experiment most often. Portraits, music videos, weddings, events, and commercials are just a few of the things I do. I take on all roles as needed, like photographer, editor, director, cinematographer, colorist, set designer, film developer, etc. I also enjoy working with other filmmakers and photographers as well, because I am a collaborator, not a competitor.

Combining old processes and technology with new, or being inspired by someone else's creative process, and figuring out how to make it in my own style, is what I am all about. Be inspired, make things, fail, adjust, make more things. That's my short ramble.

Stop by the studio sometime, the Rivoli Arts Building, Studio 311, and let's shoot.

At the end of the day, I am just here to make.

06/02/2026

Anyone else tired of all the same looking AI resturant and business posts?

It makes me not want to go there anymore, or even try them for the first time. I hope they are aware of that impact on their businesses (along with all the other impacts of AI).

05/31/2026

Mike Makes a Pop-Up Camera Store
Rivoli Arts Building
(Mike Makes and Dylan Overhouse's Studio)
June 5th | 5 - 8pm

I have been accumulating cameras for years now, and it is time to start releasing them back into the wild! If you've ever wanted to shoot film but want to keep it simple, I have a camera for you! Want to get into the nitty-gritty and dive into lenses, ISO, aperture, and shutter speeds? I also have the camera for you!

Want something novel? Something bright red? Panoramic? Something you can shoot at waist level? A little pocket guy? Stop in and check out all the cameras I have, along with bags, flashes, bulbs, lenses, and other accessories, this Friday!

It is rare for me to want to get rid of cameras, so stop in for this potentially one-time event! All camera sales go to fixing a 1950s Zenith TV!

Buy my cameras.

Canon, Pentax, Nikon, Kodak, Argus, Ansco, Minolta, Polaroid, Vivitar, and more!

05/30/2026

Next friday, June 5th, if you've ever wanted to get into film photography, stop by and check out some cameras.

02/02/2026

THIS FRIDAY: The Rivoli Arts District - STUDIO 311
The studio of Dylan Overhouse Productions and myself, Mike Makes.

We have Charlieboy duo performing and a pop-up for

Many of the Rivoli Arts District artists will have their doors open during First Fridays as well as a gallery opening on the 4th floor, so stop in, enjoy the music, check out all the merch, and support local artists.

We plan to do this every first friday of the month. If you happen to be a band that would like to perform, or an artist who would like to try out being a pop-up in our space, message me.

02/01/2026

Sunrise in the Badlands

It was almost 3 years ago now that I was in the badlands, and while I loved the film photos I took, I almost completely forgot about the digital work I was doing as well. This image combines 30 photos to get the rich detail of the sky and rock formations interacting with the sunrise.

I will have to go out there again soon. An 8-hour drive is not that long.

Canon R6M2
Canon 24-70 F2.8 L Lens

Limited prints available.

12/25/2025

Wishing you a small, happy holiday to you and yours.

After the last video, I thought I would try a tilt shift with the Rotary Lights . The hard part is getting high enough for the tilt angle to work.

While I wasn't able to get into every building I wanted to, I do want to shout out The Charmant Hotel and Hatchery Riverside for letting me get a few shots (Radisson Hotel La Crosse also let me get a shot from the 8th floor hallway but it didn't not turn out).

This took 3 different nights, testing out different lenses, cameras, and angles to see what I could actually do. I recommend not doing this on a zero degree night like one of the nights I went out.

What would you like to see next?

Address

La Crosse, WI

Website

https://mike-makes.com/, https://mikemakesshop.etsy.com/

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