Perhaps that header should read "ABOUT ME" since Exhibit A Communications and Michael J. Gibbs are one in the same.

My earliest recollections of my budding interest in photography revolve around with an old 120 format fold up camera of my grandfathers when I was in grade school. I enjoyed taking black & White pictures with this and waiting to see the results come back from the photo lab (since I didn't learn the magic Darkroom Arts until much later in life).

Through out high school, I found too many other things taking up my time (sports, work, girls, etc.) to spend any time on photography.

As my college years began coming to a close at U.C.S.D., my interest in photography became renewed. Using a Minolta SRT101 that had belonged to my father (and is now back in his antique camera collection) I taught myself photography. Not being content with having others doing my darkroom work for me (and being cheap) I used the photolabs at school to learn basic B&W darkroom skills. All the while I was voraciously readying up on photography (really when I should have been studying other things).

During college, not only did I get some photos and stories published in the Daily Guardian (the U.C.S.D. daily newspaper) but I also began shooting forensic photography for local attorneys. Since at the time San Clemente (my home town) was suffering from many land slides, the majority of these assignments were to document damage done by settling foundations and slippages.

My goal had been to attend law school after college, but upon graduation I decided that now was the time to pursue my passion. Law school could wait so I set myself a 1 year deadline to land a job at a newspaper as a photographer before re-applying to law schools.

Shortly thereafter, I was hired as a darkroom technician at the Daily Sun/Post by Meri Simon. She was pretty much my photojournalism mentor; breaking me into the daily grind of soup, proof and printing on a daily deadline. As time went on, I began to take on more and more shooting assignments.

When Meri left, I was appointed as the Chief Photographer and spent the next few years living and breathing the life of a photojournalist. While I absolutely loved the work, the strain on my pocketbook and family life (I was newly married and had "inherited" a family) caused me to pursue other ventures.

Since that time, I've continued to shoot on spec and under contract as time permits. Currently I shoot conventional as well as digital for clients and for myself.

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