Miachelle Depiano

I learned photography in high school in the days of film. In my early days in the Army, I bought a used Pentax K1000 and shot primarily black and white film. Black and white photography has always held a special place in my heart, hearkening back to my love of old Hollywood glamour shots. I continued shooting well into the 90s, especially during my assignment to Augsburg, Germany.

Life changed once I gave birth to my daughter, and I quit shooting for a long time, aside from capturing family moments with disposable cameras and the first inexpensive point and shoot cameras. Then I began making jewelry and opened my jewelry business, and indirectly my love for photography was reborn. I learned to shoot my own jewelry because I didn't have the marketing budget to hire a professional photographer every time I made a new piece. I also got involved in the Phoenix fashion industry, and frequently loaned my jewelry for shoots and presented my pieces in fashion shows. Those experiences put me in contact with photographers and the yearning to shoot came back. Five years later, I closed my jewelry business, and I was given a Canon 50D for Christmas 2009 because I'd exhausted the capabilities of my sweet little Kodak EasyShare 1012IS.

Since then, I've had an amazing journey, shooting legendary celebrities and telling people's stories. Can I tell your story?