Michals Muse

When Duane Michals spoke at my college in the late eighties, he mentioned that he’s listed in the phone book and anyone could call him and arrange a sitting. I had recently become more brazen with my portrait ambitions and decided that I would look him up when I moved to New York.

Once settled into my Williamsburg, Brooklyn apartment, I was determined to call Duane and arrange a meetup. Cradling the receiver in my shoulder, I dialed his number. After a few rings, there was a pick up, and I recognized his distinct voice. After nervously blurting out my request, he responded in a distracted tone, “How long will this take?” And that’s where it ended.

Duane Michals has had a long photography career; he’s 94 now, but even in that, there are several genres where his work spoke to me. Initially, I was taken by his low-fi but mind-blowing images, like Illuminated Man. But I also appreciated the innovation of his sequences, the beauty of his erotic photography, and most relevant, the celebrity portraits. I wrote about the power of these low-key portraits in writing about my “Five Favorite Books,“ one of my earliest blog posts, and Empty New York, in discussing my first book, Presence.

I finally did a sitting with Michals in 2018, for The Photographic Journal. This was an assignment, so I didn’t have to worry about justifying myself or asking for the allocation of time that I needed. I came to understand that Michals is a complex man: open and playful, but also impatient and easily distracted.

Recently, friend and colleague Tim Soter shared a picture of Michals playfully posing with a long white beard, and I couldn’t resist! He looked like a mythical wise man or a mad wizard — I requested another session with him.

In discussing this new shoot with Tim (who sometimes works for the artist), he mentioned that Duane likes to put things on people‘s heads when he photographs them, and a light bulb went off. I also liked putting things on people’s heads!

Initially, we worked with a stuffed bird that was sourced from his basement prop room. Duane was a patient subject, given that I was putting a bird with sharp claws on his bald head (it must’ve hurt at least a little bit). And then, as he told me that he was getting a little tired, I pivoted to some simple tight shots, and that’s where I feel the best image happened.

Backlighting the beard and encouraging Duane to get wild and extreme, we captured this moment. It seems to have everything I wanted in one frame.

Top Image: Put a bird on it. Duane Michals, New York, NY, March 11, 2026.

Second Image: My favorite portrait of the day.

Bottom Image: Behind the scenes, photo by Tim Soter.