Michael Muller: Hollywood Blvd
by Jennifer Chen
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MICHAEL MULLER
December 01, 2011 — On any given day in Hollywood, odds are you might drive by and see a dozen or so of photographer Michael Muller’s movie posters plastered around town. His love for superheroes is evident in the plethora of comic-book based posters he’s worked on—X-Men, Captain America and Iron Man 2, to name a few—each one bearing his trademark Hollywood lighting and his power to distill the entire plotline into one still image. What you might not see behind the glitz and the glamour of the photo is the amount of hard work Muller puts in and the serendipitous luck that scored him a spot as one of the dozen in Los Angeles that can claim photographing movie posters as a steady gig.
Muller’s success all started when he spotted someone dressed as a Star Wars Storm Trooper at the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue, a stretch of street laden with a random assortment of characters ranging from a Marilyn Monroe impersonator kissing an Elvis Presley lookalike to Batman and Superman impersonators hanging out in front of Grauman’s Chinese Theater. Muller got a sudden vision of photographing the trooper as the iconic Marlboro Man, then returned to the theater area to document the other characters there as well. Three months later, the resulting images were turned into a gallery show. At the show, an actor friend purchased a print of “Batman” smoking crack, and as luck would have it, a studio head at Fox happened to see it when visiting Muller’s friend’s house. The actor remembered Muller’s desire to shoot movie posters and pulled up Muller’s Web site for the studio head to check out. The executive asked if Muller could come over right away. Muller did, and landed an assignment shooting the X-Men: The Last Stand poster on the spot.
But before you think it’s an easy gig, think again. Muller says the reason that there’s only a selective group of photographers being offered these big posters is because it’s a difficult job. Depending on the movie, Muller deals with “multiple ad agencies, the marketing department at the studio, publicists, the actors’ opinions, the director and the script.” There are a lot of dynamics involved. “There are very few photographers who can handle that type of pressure and that many people and needs,” Muller says. So how does he deal with the pressure? “I deal with it one person at a time with a smile and confidence.”
Muller’s movie poster shooting style evolves from a similar photography genre that deals with different personalities, capturing iconic moments, and above all else, directing skills—wedding photography. Shares Muller, “Photographing weddings is one of the best training grounds. You get paid in cash, people are eating good food and there’s a lot of pressure to get the shot, get the kiss, etc. You have to direct the groom’s family, the bride’s family and 20 people and tell them where to stand. So that’s where I got my training.”
Athletic Ambition
But Muller didn’t always start out wanting to be a photographer. He became a world traveler at a young age (his father was an engineer) and soon developed a love for racing, snowboarding, surfing and participating in triathlons. After graduating high school, Muller moved to San Diego and reached a crossroads where he had to decide whether he wanted to become a professional athlete or a photographer. His passion for photography won out and he left San Diego for Boulder, CO, to shoot snowboarding full-time with a high school friend (the duo had already successfully published a yearly snowboarding calendar—all while in high school).
Muller’s athletic interests proved useful for his advertising campaigns, particularly when he found out that Speedo was searching for a new photographer about nine years ago. “I went after Speedo with a vengeance and used my triathlon experience,” he explains. “At one time, I was sponsored by Speedo so that helped. I knew they were meeting with a lot of photographers so when I pitched them I said I could take Speedo to another level, which I did. I intermixed surfing training.” Muller recalls working with Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps and giving him a metal ball to carry underwater, much like how surfers carry rocks with them. His images for the Speedo campaign are thrilling, capturing the necessary roughness of sports while invoking a stunning beauty to each image. Muller comments, “When I shoot sports, I shoot them in my way. Traditionally, shots are done with available light and natural lighting so I’m bringing a hyperreality to my photos. I bring my Hollywood lighting—my movie poster lighting—into those other worlds.”
His style of bold lighting also came in handy for two major expeditions—climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and deep diving around the Galapagos Islands. The trek up the harrowing mountain is not for the faint of heart and Muller himself had to pace himself as the altitude climbed. When asked how he climbed one of the most challenging mountains in the world while also documenting the climb, he even expresses disbelief. “I don’t know how I did it. I put one foot in front of the other. After the job, I looked at the 12,000 photos I took and I realized I was practically shooting with every step.”
Beyond the physicality of the climb, how did his camera equipment survive? Says Muller, “At that time, I was working on a potential ambassadorship with Hasselblad. They actually gave me one of their first H-90s to try. I told them, I know your camera works in the studio, but I want to know that it works at 20,000 feet above, so I took that with me. I also had a Canon Titanium, which is a phenomenal camera.”
Muller continues, "I was really appreciative and honored [Hasselblad] wanted to work with me but after trying every back on the market, there was one system I felt was two steps ahead of everyone else, which is Phase One. I am now sponsored by Phase One and use their new 180 IQ which is the most amazing system I've ever used, from sharpness, color, to work flow. Not to mention the best underwater housing on the market is made for the Phase One." He even lugged his Hollywood lighting equipment, and was able to get a summit shot of the entire climbing group. “Another photographer couldn’t get a group shot because the summit itself was blown out because of natural light. So once again, having Profoto packs at 20,000 feet helps.”
Continuing his adventurous streak, Muller spent time photographing the Galapagos Islands for Swiss watchmaker IWC, with a team from UNESCO and the Charles Darwin Foundation. He and his tight-knit team dove four times a day to capture a vast array of aquatic life.
The pace was grueling, but Muller contends that he would’ve dived six times a day if he could. He shares, “I had a blast. I was seeing string rays, hammerheads, whale sharks, turtles and penguins. There was excitement around every corner. You wanted to dive.”
Training for four years for triathlons helped him not only stay in peak physical condition for such intense weeks, but the mental stamina from the long-form sporting event also helped him overcome any challenges along the way. “It’s a very mental thing and when I put my mind to something no is not an option.”
Star Power
After his stint photographing snowboarders in Boulder, CO, Muller, at age 20, picked up and moved to Los Angeles. He had been accepted to Otis Parsons with advanced placement in photography but ultimately left after one semester. Instead he began photographing models and actor friends, including David Arquette, Balthazar Getty and Leonardo DiCaprio—a “motley crew” as he affectionately calls them. They hung out and he snapped shots of them.
Nowadays, he’s photographing Brad Pitt, Joaquin Phoenix, Olivia Wilde, several musicians and a whole slew of professional athletes from boxing, baseball, boxing and more. His portraits are sneak peeks into the lives of the rich and famous, and are alluring, inviting and deeply personal. They perform in front of the camera yet, as Muller points out, they can also be very vulnerable, just like regular people, when you strip away a character and stand someone in front of marks, a bunch of lights, and a camera. “My job as a photographer is to direct them and make them comfortable. If they don’t trust you, they’re not going to open up.” He continues, “At the end of the day, it’s about earning trust and having good ideas. Most of these people have been photographed so many times so if you come with ideas to make a great image, they will work with you.”
Kids Clicking Kids
Juggling an already busy schedule, Muller donates his time to an organization that he is deeply passionate about—Kids Clicking Kids. He first started photographing in hospitals through the nonprofit The Art of Elysium, which works with artists, musicians and actors to dedicate time to children who are battling serious medical conditions. Muller went to hospitals teaching kids photography, but he soon learned his pro camera was too heavy and large for the kids. So he, along with The Art of Elysium, produced a gallery opening of images he shot of famous actresses and models—Kristen Dunst, Penelope Cruz, Eva Mendez and Kristy Hume, to name a few—underwater. Muller earmarked 50-percent of his proceeds to start Kids Clicking Kids. He purchased printers and smaller cameras.
Kodak donated 40 new cameras, and paired with grants from the Department of Cultural Affairs and Yahoo, Muller was able to launch his program. He and his team spent six months working with the same kids, teaching them basic photography skills and giving them cameras to document the world around them. The palpable joy on these kids’ faces when the images they took came out of the printer touched Muller and his team beyond words. Shares Muller, “We watched them grow as photographers over six months. We hung their photos at a gallery in the end. It was amazing to see these 17-year-old, inner-city kids that had never taken a picture making these photographs that could hang in a gallery.”
Muller admits that it is hard to ask busy professional photographers to take some time to work with Kids Clicking Kids, but for Muller the time spent is well worth it. “You see them get out of their pain for the hours that they’re in there. They’re not thinking about the condition that they’re in when they’re having fun and taking pictures, watching the printer and making friends.” He continues, “I’ve been taught to give and I’ve seen in my own experience that when I do give, my cup runneth over.”
Digging Deep
Muller has been photographing for more than 25 years and while some artists may be content to rest on their laurels with such a vast amount of experience, Muller continues to challenge himself. He loves to up the ante from his last photo session. He readily admits, “The day that I’m not challenging myself, I will put the camera down.” He continues, “You can’t stop learning about photography or anything that you do. It’s a never-ending process. It keeps it exciting. I’m just getting started.”
To that end, Muller has a patent pending on an underwater strobe system. While photographing sharks—one of his passions—he discovered that he didn’t have the proper lighting to capture these beautiful, powerful creatures so he invented a strobe system to get the job done.
With a studio and two personal assistants, Muller manages his heavy workload with ease, but he also knows when to say no. He turns down projects so he can spend time with his wife and three daughters. He often talks with his good friend and artist Shepard Fairey (famously known for his President Obama “Hope” image) about the question they are often asked—what’s the secret formula to success? He laughs and shares, “It’s real simple. It’s hard work. You gotta make sacrifices and make choices based on what’s important to you.” He narrows it down to these three crucial tenets: “Commitment, hard work and digging deep.” Muller lives and works by this philosophy in all aspects of his photography. After all, he’s just getting started.
View Muller’s work at www.mullerphoto.com.
To read the Last Word click here.
Muller’s success all started when he spotted someone dressed as a Star Wars Storm Trooper at the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue, a stretch of street laden with a random assortment of characters ranging from a Marilyn Monroe impersonator kissing an Elvis Presley lookalike to Batman and Superman impersonators hanging out in front of Grauman’s Chinese Theater. Muller got a sudden vision of photographing the trooper as the iconic Marlboro Man, then returned to the theater area to document the other characters there as well. Three months later, the resulting images were turned into a gallery show. At the show, an actor friend purchased a print of “Batman” smoking crack, and as luck would have it, a studio head at Fox happened to see it when visiting Muller’s friend’s house. The actor remembered Muller’s desire to shoot movie posters and pulled up Muller’s Web site for the studio head to check out. The executive asked if Muller could come over right away. Muller did, and landed an assignment shooting the X-Men: The Last Stand poster on the spot.
But before you think it’s an easy gig, think again. Muller says the reason that there’s only a selective group of photographers being offered these big posters is because it’s a difficult job. Depending on the movie, Muller deals with “multiple ad agencies, the marketing department at the studio, publicists, the actors’ opinions, the director and the script.” There are a lot of dynamics involved. “There are very few photographers who can handle that type of pressure and that many people and needs,” Muller says. So how does he deal with the pressure? “I deal with it one person at a time with a smile and confidence.”
Muller’s movie poster shooting style evolves from a similar photography genre that deals with different personalities, capturing iconic moments, and above all else, directing skills—wedding photography. Shares Muller, “Photographing weddings is one of the best training grounds. You get paid in cash, people are eating good food and there’s a lot of pressure to get the shot, get the kiss, etc. You have to direct the groom’s family, the bride’s family and 20 people and tell them where to stand. So that’s where I got my training.”
Athletic Ambition
But Muller didn’t always start out wanting to be a photographer. He became a world traveler at a young age (his father was an engineer) and soon developed a love for racing, snowboarding, surfing and participating in triathlons. After graduating high school, Muller moved to San Diego and reached a crossroads where he had to decide whether he wanted to become a professional athlete or a photographer. His passion for photography won out and he left San Diego for Boulder, CO, to shoot snowboarding full-time with a high school friend (the duo had already successfully published a yearly snowboarding calendar—all while in high school).
Muller’s athletic interests proved useful for his advertising campaigns, particularly when he found out that Speedo was searching for a new photographer about nine years ago. “I went after Speedo with a vengeance and used my triathlon experience,” he explains. “At one time, I was sponsored by Speedo so that helped. I knew they were meeting with a lot of photographers so when I pitched them I said I could take Speedo to another level, which I did. I intermixed surfing training.” Muller recalls working with Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps and giving him a metal ball to carry underwater, much like how surfers carry rocks with them. His images for the Speedo campaign are thrilling, capturing the necessary roughness of sports while invoking a stunning beauty to each image. Muller comments, “When I shoot sports, I shoot them in my way. Traditionally, shots are done with available light and natural lighting so I’m bringing a hyperreality to my photos. I bring my Hollywood lighting—my movie poster lighting—into those other worlds.”
His style of bold lighting also came in handy for two major expeditions—climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and deep diving around the Galapagos Islands. The trek up the harrowing mountain is not for the faint of heart and Muller himself had to pace himself as the altitude climbed. When asked how he climbed one of the most challenging mountains in the world while also documenting the climb, he even expresses disbelief. “I don’t know how I did it. I put one foot in front of the other. After the job, I looked at the 12,000 photos I took and I realized I was practically shooting with every step.”
Beyond the physicality of the climb, how did his camera equipment survive? Says Muller, “At that time, I was working on a potential ambassadorship with Hasselblad. They actually gave me one of their first H-90s to try. I told them, I know your camera works in the studio, but I want to know that it works at 20,000 feet above, so I took that with me. I also had a Canon Titanium, which is a phenomenal camera.”
Muller continues, "I was really appreciative and honored [Hasselblad] wanted to work with me but after trying every back on the market, there was one system I felt was two steps ahead of everyone else, which is Phase One. I am now sponsored by Phase One and use their new 180 IQ which is the most amazing system I've ever used, from sharpness, color, to work flow. Not to mention the best underwater housing on the market is made for the Phase One." He even lugged his Hollywood lighting equipment, and was able to get a summit shot of the entire climbing group. “Another photographer couldn’t get a group shot because the summit itself was blown out because of natural light. So once again, having Profoto packs at 20,000 feet helps.”
Continuing his adventurous streak, Muller spent time photographing the Galapagos Islands for Swiss watchmaker IWC, with a team from UNESCO and the Charles Darwin Foundation. He and his tight-knit team dove four times a day to capture a vast array of aquatic life.
The pace was grueling, but Muller contends that he would’ve dived six times a day if he could. He shares, “I had a blast. I was seeing string rays, hammerheads, whale sharks, turtles and penguins. There was excitement around every corner. You wanted to dive.”
Training for four years for triathlons helped him not only stay in peak physical condition for such intense weeks, but the mental stamina from the long-form sporting event also helped him overcome any challenges along the way. “It’s a very mental thing and when I put my mind to something no is not an option.”
Star Power
After his stint photographing snowboarders in Boulder, CO, Muller, at age 20, picked up and moved to Los Angeles. He had been accepted to Otis Parsons with advanced placement in photography but ultimately left after one semester. Instead he began photographing models and actor friends, including David Arquette, Balthazar Getty and Leonardo DiCaprio—a “motley crew” as he affectionately calls them. They hung out and he snapped shots of them.
Nowadays, he’s photographing Brad Pitt, Joaquin Phoenix, Olivia Wilde, several musicians and a whole slew of professional athletes from boxing, baseball, boxing and more. His portraits are sneak peeks into the lives of the rich and famous, and are alluring, inviting and deeply personal. They perform in front of the camera yet, as Muller points out, they can also be very vulnerable, just like regular people, when you strip away a character and stand someone in front of marks, a bunch of lights, and a camera. “My job as a photographer is to direct them and make them comfortable. If they don’t trust you, they’re not going to open up.” He continues, “At the end of the day, it’s about earning trust and having good ideas. Most of these people have been photographed so many times so if you come with ideas to make a great image, they will work with you.”
Kids Clicking Kids
Juggling an already busy schedule, Muller donates his time to an organization that he is deeply passionate about—Kids Clicking Kids. He first started photographing in hospitals through the nonprofit The Art of Elysium, which works with artists, musicians and actors to dedicate time to children who are battling serious medical conditions. Muller went to hospitals teaching kids photography, but he soon learned his pro camera was too heavy and large for the kids. So he, along with The Art of Elysium, produced a gallery opening of images he shot of famous actresses and models—Kristen Dunst, Penelope Cruz, Eva Mendez and Kristy Hume, to name a few—underwater. Muller earmarked 50-percent of his proceeds to start Kids Clicking Kids. He purchased printers and smaller cameras.
Kodak donated 40 new cameras, and paired with grants from the Department of Cultural Affairs and Yahoo, Muller was able to launch his program. He and his team spent six months working with the same kids, teaching them basic photography skills and giving them cameras to document the world around them. The palpable joy on these kids’ faces when the images they took came out of the printer touched Muller and his team beyond words. Shares Muller, “We watched them grow as photographers over six months. We hung their photos at a gallery in the end. It was amazing to see these 17-year-old, inner-city kids that had never taken a picture making these photographs that could hang in a gallery.”
Muller admits that it is hard to ask busy professional photographers to take some time to work with Kids Clicking Kids, but for Muller the time spent is well worth it. “You see them get out of their pain for the hours that they’re in there. They’re not thinking about the condition that they’re in when they’re having fun and taking pictures, watching the printer and making friends.” He continues, “I’ve been taught to give and I’ve seen in my own experience that when I do give, my cup runneth over.”
Digging Deep
Muller has been photographing for more than 25 years and while some artists may be content to rest on their laurels with such a vast amount of experience, Muller continues to challenge himself. He loves to up the ante from his last photo session. He readily admits, “The day that I’m not challenging myself, I will put the camera down.” He continues, “You can’t stop learning about photography or anything that you do. It’s a never-ending process. It keeps it exciting. I’m just getting started.”
To that end, Muller has a patent pending on an underwater strobe system. While photographing sharks—one of his passions—he discovered that he didn’t have the proper lighting to capture these beautiful, powerful creatures so he invented a strobe system to get the job done.
With a studio and two personal assistants, Muller manages his heavy workload with ease, but he also knows when to say no. He turns down projects so he can spend time with his wife and three daughters. He often talks with his good friend and artist Shepard Fairey (famously known for his President Obama “Hope” image) about the question they are often asked—what’s the secret formula to success? He laughs and shares, “It’s real simple. It’s hard work. You gotta make sacrifices and make choices based on what’s important to you.” He narrows it down to these three crucial tenets: “Commitment, hard work and digging deep.” Muller lives and works by this philosophy in all aspects of his photography. After all, he’s just getting started.
View Muller’s work at www.mullerphoto.com.
To read the Last Word click here.
