ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHER
Michael Butler was born in London, UK, and grew up on Vancouver Island. He was gifted his first camera at the age of 12; a black and white Brownie, and after discovering a new connection to photography, cameras then became a natural part of his life and travels.
A definitive chapter of Michael’s life began when he started his pre-hospital career working for Rock Medicine in San Francisco in the mid-70s, followed by joining BC Ambulance Service in 1978. Michael initiated his paramedic experience in downtown Vancouver, later evolving into a Critical Care Paramedic until 1995, when he relocated to Victoria to manage the BC Air Ambulance Program.
Michael’s next career shift came with a change of scenery; in 2005, he retired, moved to Deep Cove, North Saanich with his wife Kathy, and worked as a Victoria Coroner until 2012. After 35 years of caring for the sick and injured and conducting death investigations, Michael changed direction once again, this time to pursue a career in his life-long passion: photography.
After 2 years of school and practical training, Michael willingly worked on every project that came his way; including real estate, websites, landscapes, infants, dogs, models, fashion, boats, cars, and professional portraits. After a couple of hits (and countless misses), a wedding nightmare, a few no-pays, and some epic equipment failures, Michael began to feel like a real photographer.
Through time and discipline, Michael has developed his mastery of photography through 3 concepts: a thorough research of location and subject; image composition based on well-established photography principles; and editing images to create a story for the viewer. He takes on every project with a sense of quality over quantity, collaboration over persuasion, and above all, good humour.
With each project, Michael is gifted with the help of his wife, Kathy, who manages Madrona Drive Photography’s social media accounts, and offers him insightful feedback – even when he doesn’t ask for it. In his work, Michael uses professional-grade equipment, including Nikon full-frame cameras and lenses and runs Exposure X7 Software. Michael is also a member of Nikon Professional Services.