About John

A native of California, John Michiels moved to Charleston, South Carolina for what he thought would be a period of months to make photographs of the beautiful, historic city. 30+ years later, he's still in Charleston and finding plenty of inspiration. His body of work also includes images of the California coastline and wine country.

With Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr. at the 2015 Piccolo Spoleto Outdoor Art Exhibition Arwards Ceremony.

Back in the 4x5 Film days… John on location at Edisto Island, SC in 2002 capturing images for the show “Edisto-Scene and Unseen”.

John's warm monochrome images feature portraits of character-rich structures and quiet city landscapes. All are carefully composed with an eye developed by 40 years of study and enthusiastic devotion to the craft. John currently creates pigment and carbon pigment prints on archival cotton and bamboo papers, informed by 25 years of traditional darkroom work.

Recent Awards and Accomplishments

2024 - Work featured in Lenswork Magazine’s Legacy Issue. 2024 - Atalaya Festival - Best of Show. 2024 - Artfields Competition Artist.

John is an annual participant of the Piccolo Spoleto Outdoor Art Exhibition and serves as its Board President. Over the years, he has received 13 artist awards including Best of Show and 2 First Place.