Adam Michaels captures the magic of weddings with a business-savvy lens

Adam Michaels is a wedding photographer who knows how to tell a story — his lens captures every detail, candid conversation and some of the most wanderlust-inducing moments of a couple’s big day.

On a balmy spring afternoon, Michaels, owner of AdamMichaels Photography, sits in his studio setting up for the day. The South Side Flats studio is an arsenal of inspiration, featuring prominent lighting in hues of fuchsia and cobalt, along with abundant natural light streaming through the large windows. The space can convert from a photo shoot area to an art studio or a podcast lab.

Uniquely curated art pieces adorn the walls, all hand-selected by Michaels, who brings nature into his space with greenery that serves as art in its own form. One wall can reverse to a lighter color and become the backdrop for an envy-worthy headshot. Sneakers are displayed across the wall like a streetwear store. Michaels, 36, says he does not have to search for inspiration — he’s always ready.

Art didn’t come naturally to him, and neither did weddings. After moving back to Pittsburgh in 2019 from California, traveling a bit following a career as a financial planner and multiple compliments from friends on his photography skills, he began to take it seriously.

“I learned a lot shooting the city. That’s how I learned to do long exposures and different things,” he said.

Getting a consistent clientele didn’t come easily either. In the beginning, Michaels would pay folks to take their pictures. “You only start to build a reputation when people know you have the juice,” he said.

And eventually, they did. Now he is booked a year in advance for weddings, with many local couples requesting his shots. The autonomy photography offered — coming from the finance field — was a complete 180.

“I remember I had to ask for approval from the board if I wanted to get a haircut or shave. All I knew was the business side,” Michaels said.

Knowing the business side has proven handy for Michaels, who says that even though he is a photographer, he is a business owner first.

“That was one thing I had the advantage on is knowing how to run a business. If you want to be a full-time artist, if you want it to pay the bills, it’s actually a business,” he said.

Part of being a business owner for Michaels is not wearing all the hats and knowing when he needs assistance and help. That help sometimes comes in the form of mentees and interns.

“I’m in a position where I get to mentor all different artists right now,” Michaels said. He mentors artists at The Pop District through The Warhol Academy and also has college interns who work with him. In addition, his sister, Jade Michaels, works with him and has learned from him in real time.

“Learning from him and watching him put his years of practice and discipline into action is something that can’t really be described, it’s really special,” Jade Michaels said. “There is a huge sense of pride in watching and helping the business grow and his impact on the community.”

For Jade Michaels, the photography really goes beyond the aperture of the camera and is about the atmosphere that is created, especially on someone’s wedding day.

That atmosphere is crucial because often Michaels is with a couple for the entirety of their wedding, from getting shots of the flowers and first looks to the first picture of the bride before she walks down the aisle — and the impromptu shots that sometimes turn out to be the most cherished.

“I love it, these are the photos that get passed down,” he said. Michaels said it is a blessing to be there on people’s most memorable moments and to go to beautiful locations that are inaccessible otherwise. He also really appreciates the gratitude others extend for his work. It’s also the high stakes that attract him to the craft.

“If you can do high-end events where anxieties are high and you cannot mess up and you have to deliver every time, then you can definitely do the other stuff,” Michaels said. “You have to consistently deliver excellent results. There are no bad days. That’s someone’s wedding … there’s no missing a picture of grandma.”

Growing up, Michaels was used to being in high-pressure environments. He grew up in Wexford and went to North Allegheny Senior High School and then attended Slippery Rock University.

“The access to prominent people and learning early on how to navigate corporate spaces was an advantage,” he said.

But he was one of nine Black students in his high school class. He said he sometimes felt misunderstood. While his father is Black and his mother is Korean, Michaels said he often gets mistaken for Puerto Rican or Filipino. His dad was the guidance counselor in his school, but no one would believe that was his dad.

“So you’re just sitting there floating. And that was just something that was not easy to define. I have to prove my Blackness, which is a crazy concept,” he said.

Always having an eye for a shot and taking it has been beneficial. One year back in Hawaii on vacation with his siblings, he caught the perfect shot of majestic turtles, a man on a surfboard and the sunset.

“You can’t set that up. That’s similar to a lot of the wedding photos: we’re all tired at the end of the night, and it’s like, ‘Come on, let’s go outside for one more.’ And we get the coolest thing,” he said.