2012 – 2013: Photos

I was into my early thirties when I finally discovered my creative side. It all began in January 2012, when I bought my first iPhone and set up my Instagram account. From there, everything changed.

Back then, photography was something I only did on holidays or at family gatherings, but Instagram gave me a reason to start exploring the world through a lens. I quickly became captivated by architectural photography, capturing buildings and empty spaces in a way that spoke to me.

Instagram, in those early days, was a haven for mobile photographers, with a tight-knit community that shared work, ideas, and even met offline for photo walks. By the end of 2012, I’d won a national photography award, and in 2013, I completed a project to photograph all 270 London Underground stations. What began as a hobby had become an obsession.

2014 – 2015: Creative Editing

Life took a turn when my daughter was born, and soon after, my father became seriously ill. Photography had to take a backseat, but I still had hundreds of photos stored on my phone. In spare moments, I began editing them with various iPhone apps, experimenting with distortions, mirroring, and layering. It was during this period that the tiny silhouette figure first appeared in my work, a symbol that would come to define my style. I found a welcome escape in these edits, and without realising it, I was laying the groundwork for a new chapter in my artistic journey.

An early edit that won me 2012 Mobile Photographer of the Year

2016 – 2018: After Photography

When my Dad passed away, I lost all enthusiasm for photography and felt creatively burnt out. I tried to reignite that spark with a trip to Berlin but found myself repeating the same images I’d seen a hundred times on Instagram. I stopped shooting altogether, but eventually returned to my editing apps. Instead of working from old photos, I began creating images from scratch, blending my love of architecture with digital art—geometry, lines, symmetry, and perspective. Using the same mobile tools, I found a fresh, exciting direction, and the positive response I received encouraged me to pursue this new path.

2019 – Now: Finding my Voice

I finally settled into the style of work I create today around 2019, and much of what you’ll find here on my site has been developed from that point onward. A turning point came in 2020 when my work was featured in designboom magazine, sparking international interest and leading to features in several publications. Since then, my art has been used in books, album covers, and other media, and my creative journey continues to evolve.

For a long time, I wasn’t sure what direction to take with my art beyond social media. The world of NFTs and crypto art didn’t appeal to me, and I hesitated to explore printing, thinking the non-traditional way I create my work might not translate well to high-resolution prints. But after much research and testing, I realised that the best way to share my work beyond the screen was to turn it into something tangible.

Art Prints

Now, I’m offering limited edition giclée prints of my work. Printed on museum-quality Hahnemühle Pearl paper, each print is accompanied by a signed and numbered certificate of authenticity, with only 20 editions available in each size. I’ve been blown away by how good they look, and I’m thrilled to share them with the world.

You can browse my collection, purchase prints, and sign up to my mailing list to stay updated on future releases. If you have a favourite piece you’d like to see as a limited edition, drop me a line at mike_n5@outlook.com or send me a message on Instagram.

Cheers,
Michael (mike_n5)

Turning old photos into something new

Making images from scratch (with the help of clip-art)

My work on the cover of Wired Italia magazine, August 2020