"Early in my life I turned to the motherhood of nature for my personal and spiritual growth. This relationship with the natural world has been my lifeblood. I am drawn to places of mystery where I feel at peace with the power of the Earth's spirit.

Over the years, I have learned to use my photography as a voice for the gospel of nature. It is my goal and mission to communicate the mysterious connections we all share with this land having chosen to be a portrait photographer of God's creations. I will continue to practice ways that bring us a little closer to the spirit of nature."

Michael Fatali was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1965. At the age of six, his family moved to Southern Arizona. The first introduction to his love affair with the outdoors began with many hiking and camping trips with his father during Fatali's childhood.

When he was fifteen, his mother passed away from cancer. Feeling this unfortunate loss, he began to rediscover himself and develop an intimate relationship with nature which nutured him and taught him lessons of our communal co-existence with the natural world. Even though there was a physical separation with his mother early in life, he feels a spiritual connection when he spends quiet times in places of mystery. His insightful understanding of our unified connections with nature has blessed him with a life mission to share with us all. The still frames of time which are reflections that mirror the glory from the Creator of light and power.

In 1990, Fatali was still struggling as an artist with the creative desire to improve upon making intimate photographs of the Desert Southwest. With only a few hundred dollars and his large plate camera, he and his wife hit the road and moved closer to the red rock country he loves so deeply. Fatali displayed his new images of the now world famous slot canyons by opening his first gallery in Page, Arizona. Publications and featured television stories soon gained him both regional and international recognition. His sensitive eye for canyon light has become his own unique photographic voice in the world of photography.

Continuing to pursue his creative bliss, another opportunity opened when he purchased an old schoolhouse in Rockville, Utah. The Fatali Schoolhouse of Photography is an extension of his vision to spread the gospel of nature with other professional and amateur photographers by teaching individual expression of appreciation for the natural world. The school offers seasonal photographic explorations and workshops entitled "Follow the Light".

Fatali and his family now reside in Rockville, Utah. You are also invited to visit and experience a personal tour of over 80 original photographs at one of our Fatali gallery locations.