Mike Makes

09/04/2026

Have you been to my studio? Studio 311 in the Rivoli Arts Building! I am now opening it up to other photographers as a rental studio space. I want to create a safe space for up-and-coming photographers, established photographers, and models.

Stop by and check it out during First Fridays tonight! We also have a cyanotype pop-up artist in our studio tonight, Arin Willems, and you should check out their work!

Photography and Video Studio for those who need a space to create! When I first started doing photography, I was only able to do shoots outside or in random empty places I found, which wasn’t…

08/25/2026

Editing forever. But worth it.

We want to thank all those who came out for the Feral Apparel Fashion Show!

Thank you to the community for showing up!

Thank you to the designers and vendors who put in the work:
, Merfolk Handmade, Macrame Mama WI, , .hem.theirs, , Dungeon Dad Zad, , Warsaw Speedwolf, Artwork of Chase Gentry, .xjess, Cat Dagendesh,

Thank you to all the models who worked the runway!

Thank you to our MC, who was our voice: StevenWalker LivingLocal Host

Thank you to Ope Publishing for creating the program!

Thank you to Mike Makes for the photography!

And a very BIG thank you to the Pump House Regional Arts Center for hosting us for a second year!

Photography will be coming out within the next week or two, so be prepared!

08/21/2026

Color or B&W with Grace

I do quite a few simple white backdrop shoots. It's a good creative challenge due to its simplicity, as I usually try not to have too many objects accompanying the model. Grace has a dance background, and we incorporated that into the shoot. We shared some inspo back and forth and settled on working around a chair. This vintage chair was down the hall, and due to its age, we made sure not to break it.

Here are just a few of the photos.

Check out the studio sometime - Studio 311 - Rivoli Arts Building

Stats for nerds:
Canon R6MII
Canon 28 - 70mm F2.8 L Lens
Canon 70 - 200mm F2.8 L Lens
Aputure 300D Lights x2
Savage 108 in. white backdrop
Vintage chair
A friend on the side as her hypeman (You can always bring a friend)

08/07/2026

Cyanotype Pop-Up Workshop!

Get your portrait from 5-8pm on August 7th! (Tonight)
Walk-throughs of the process at 6 and 7pm

Stop into Studio 311 in the Rivoli Arts Building!

Cyanotype used in this post provided by Dylan Overhouse Productions

08/02/2026

Pink and teal with a mix of emotions.
A few of the shots from my shoot with Karina.

The studio has been so busy, but I am trying to make sure I post more to FB. This is my final paint shoot until I decide to buy more. I may post my other ones on here soon. The teal backdrop arrived the day before this shoot, and I planned to use it for something else. But when I was testing the pink against the other backdrops, the teal became the only option in my mind.

While I would like to think I am a decent director, all the credit goes to Karina for all the emotions in this set.

Interested in doing a shoot? Let's talk through it. Send me a message!

Canon USA R6MII
Canon 24-70 F2.8 L Lens
Canon 70-200 F2.8 L Lens
Savage Teal 9ft backdrop
Aputure 300D lights

07/24/2026

Framing up a shoot with Belle

This shoot was almost a year in the making. Shot last August, right before Belle moved away, and then I became busy with work and freelance opportunities. This shoot sat on my hard drive. The editing felt daunting, but the vision was there. Then I ran into her a few months ago and knew I had to get this done.

I wanted to explore the idea of frames, being viewed as less than who you are, as an object, or as though you are missing something about yourself. Something about letting this shoot sit for a year, and briefly catching up in a bar a few months ago, in some ways makes this about personal growth.

No AI, just Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop

Want to model? Hit me up and let's plan a shoot!

Stats for nerds:
Canon R6MII
Canon 24-70mm F2.8 Lens
(f4.5 - ISO 800)
2 Aputure 300d Lights
3 frames from Goodwill Industries International
Fishing line to hang the frame

07/08/2026

A photo walk from a few weeks ago around La Crosse.

Walking around with the Mamiya Universal Press Camera is a bit annoying due to its size. But I do like the photos that come from it, even if I forget to advance the film from time to time, creating double exposures by accident. One day, I will be more intentional.

The last photo is three frames stitched together digitally to create a panoramic.

Mamiya Universal Press Camera
50mm F6.7 Mamiya Sekor Lens
Kodak Portra 400 120 Film

Another group film photo walk will be in the works soon. Stop by the studio sometime and check out some cameras!

07/07/2026

If you saw my old camera down at Artspire La Crosse a few weeks ago, and asked about it, I probably took your photo. While I can shoot 4x5 film with this camera still, there is something more exciting about getting a photo back instantly.

I use Instax Wide film with this old Graflex Crown Graphic and its always a fun to see peoplea reactions to their photos from this camera.

07/01/2026

This morning's storm reminded me that I captured the sunset from a few days ago.

This is an HDR photo of 5 photos stacked to captured the brightest highlights, and the darkest shadows.

06/28/2026

SpaceHeaters at the Popcorn Tavern about a week ago.

Another test of the Pringles Kaleidoscope camera lens, this time attached to a Lomography Petzval 58mm. You can see the swirl of the lens more in the non kaleidoscope photos. The wider angle is a Schneider Kreznach Retina 28mm lens.