MICHAEL TENBRINK

Michael TenBrink (b. 1972) is an award-winning American writer and photographer based in Northern Italy. Originally from Grand Rapids, Michigan, he spent 25 years working in journalism and marketing in Nashville and San Francisco in fields including architecture, law, accounting, and the music industry.

At the age of 50, Michael followed his heart and moved from California to Milan, where he pursued a Master in Photography. He graduated from Raffles Istituto Moda e Design, with his final thesis receiving an “Excellent” evaluation (the highest possible rating).

As a writer, Michael is always interested in engaging the reader with his words. He aims to do the same with his photographs, as he celebrates the wonder, mystery, beauty, struggle, and joy of life. While he loves a good “postcard” shot, a recurring theme in his work is isolation, and he is often drawn to bleak and barren subjects. He finds that spending hours outdoors with his camera clears his head and gives him a sense of solace and perspective.

In his Substack newsletter, The Way I See It, Michael shares personal essays on a variety of topics, accompanied by his photography. Through his work, he aims to connect more deeply with himself and the world around him, as well as to foster a sense of connection and community with his readers.

Michael and his husband live in Milan with their dog, Bibi.

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AWARDS

Winner, 2024 ANDANAfoto Contest

  • This award, for Michael’s project "Breakdown," was presented during the ANDANA Festival on April 12, 2024, in Valencia, Spain.

PUBLICATIONS

Eres aquello que miras / You are what you look at (ANDANAfoto, Apr 12, 2024)

  • This is the first book in a collection published by Spain-based ANDANAfoto. It features Michael’s project “Breakdown,” as well as the work of the other four winners of the 2024 ANDANAfoto contest.

Born Again (Blurb, 2024)

  • In this self-published memoir, Michael undertakes an unflinching exploration of how he was impacted on a mental, emotional, and physical level by his fundamentalist Christian upbringing. He pairs his writing with striking images from a deeply personal photo shoot with photographer Sohan Sam, in which Michael relives the condemnation of his past before washing himself clean.

The Photowalk podcast, “Do Something for Nothing” (Episode 419, February 9, 2024)

  • Host Neale James spotlighted Michael’s photograph “Onward”

Back to the Future: cinque sguardi sul mondo (Black Camera Italia, May 12, 2023)

  • Michael’s project "Ticking Away" was published by Black Camera, the online Italian photography magazine, along with those of four others.

Tracing Transition Exhibition (Photography Now, Mar 28, 2023)

  • Press release published by Berlin-based Photography Now about the exhibition in Milan that included Michael’s large-format piece "On the Grid."

MEDIA

  • Interviewed on The Photowalk podcast, “The One: Big Pictures from 2025, Part 2” (Episode 514, January 9, 2026)

  • Interviewed on The Extra Mile podcast, “Conversations in Contrast” (Episode 163, November 7, 2025)

  • Interviewed on The Photowalk podcast, “The Scotland Retreat Special 2025” (Episode 503, October 10, 2025)