Michael David Rose is an ever evolving artist specializing in photography. In 1989, while attending Pomfret boarding school,
he was handed the keys to the darkroom and never looked back. His first paid photography gig was with the band Phish and
he has since created a full service photography and video production company, MDRP, currently based in San Francisco.
Michael earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Kenyon College with a major in photography and received the Robert H
Hallstein Award for the Outstanding Exhibition. He studied post-graduate photography programs at the School of the Art
Institute of Chicago and the University of Arizona, Tucson. Following his studies, he returned to Chicago to work with
Armand Lee & Co. a full service framing and antique restoration firm whose clients included the Field Museum of Natural
History, Holly Hunt and the Chicago Historical Society. He then moved on to contribute to Hedrich Blessing photographers,
documenting the work of architects, developers, and construction internationally.
In 2003, Michael founded his own photography firm, Michael David Rose Photography, or MDRP where he served as the
staff photographer for the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago for 2 years until he moved the MDRP offices from Chicago
to San Francisco in 2007. Michael’s online editorial work for UrbanDaddy in New York, NY spanned a decade and he began
documenting product for museums, commercial clients, and startups.
Michael has collaborated with many firms that focus on sustainability, transit and lifestyle. Michael documents the scientific
studies of UC Davis – Bodega Marine Labs in California to better understand the vast unknown of the Pacific Ocean. As a
journalist, he documents travel and leisure getaways, as an artist, he documents architecture, and as a creator he makes
photographs for brands.
In addition, he recently became a California Guide of California and its vast opportunities in fishing, crabbing and hunting.
Michael is continuously making artworks that discuss the news, nature and landscape as we know it. His recent series of
collages document the night sky in watercolor, pencil and found objects.
Michael resides in both San Francisco and Carnelian Bay, California. When he’s not behind the lens you can find him
paddle boarding the bay, fly fishing the Truckee River and skiing at Alpine Meadows with his family.