For speaking inquiries please email. For a list of speaking clientele download the C.V.

For a list of commissions and press links visit Commissions.

Click here to download Giulia Cassoro’s thesis on MCB for the Accademia di Belle Arti di Catania.

Michael Christopher Brown is an artist utilizing and challenging the documentary image to draw attention to some of the most pressing humanitarian issues of our time. From the chaotic rise of eastern China, to the Arab Spring revolutions, from the wars of Eastern Congo (DRC), to the conflict in Israel and the West Bank, from socioeconomic issues in Cuba, to homelessness in Los Angeles.

Born and raised in the Skagit Valley, a farming community in Washington State, Michael’s family worked in healthcare. His father was a physician, his mother a dietician and his sister a nurse. His father, who built a darkroom in their home and frequently photographed the family, taught Michael photography and occasionally worked overseas while documenting his patients, operations and journeys. Michael’s parents would bring he and his sister to Mexico where they worked in orphanages, and the family hosted dozens of exchange students from around the world.

Since studying at the School of Visual Communication at Ohio University, graduating with an MA in 2003, Michael largely funded his projects by working as a photographer for commercial and editorial clientele including National Geographic Magazine, where he has worked both on contract and as a freelancer since 2004.

A former associate photographer at Magnum Photos, Michael became known for pioneering the use of a smart phone as a primary reporting device in conflict zones. His seminal documentation of the 2011 Libyan Revolution, a road trip through a war zone integrating imagery, texts, and audio from his phone, led to the short film and monograph Libyan Sugar, which won the Paris Photo First Book Award and the International Center of Photography Infinity Award for Artist’s Book. 

Michael’s use of a smart phone in Libya, D.R. Congo and other humanitarian contexts was highly controversial and he has continued to challenge the status quo in both his recording and delivery methodologies involving the documentary image. He received extensive criticism both on his Instagram and in the press for his work on Skid Row, during the George Floyd protests and following his release of the novel AI reportage illustration work 90 Miles.

Michael is co-directing a film using his documentary footage from Cuba and is writing a screenplay for a feature film based on a story he documented while living in D.R. Congo. He was the main character and a cinematographer for the Michael Mann directed HBO documentary Witness: Libya, and his film work was featured in several other conflict based documentaries including Hondros, Which way is the Front Line from Here? The Life and Time of Tim Hetherington, The Prosecutors and This is Congo. 

While working commercially, for clients including Land Rover, U.S. Army, Chopard and others, Michael excels at providing unconventional solutions in challenging situations and locations, having spent over two decades photographing and directing across six continents and conflict areas in the Middle East and Central Africa, including from his former home base in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

Michael loves collaborating with teams to create narrative, emotional stories with impactful imagery that feels both authentic and cinematic. His passion for researching the unique needs of each commission, for utilizing natural light as well as his ability to quickly deliver in a variety of situations, with both actors and non-actors, follows from his extensive press background. He is also well versed in shooting over-the-shoulder on live action productions, and directing video in tandem with making photographs.

As a Speaker, Michael has shared his experiences with educational and government institutions, foundations, festivals, brands, non-profits and creative agencies. His talks take you on his personal journey from his childhood in Washington State, where his parents hosted dozens of exchange students and worked in orphanages overseas, to his exploration of geopolitical stories over the past two decades. With his diverse archive of photography and film work, he shares the hard-earned lessons he and other photographers have learned while navigating the world’s conflicts.

Watch a recent profile on Michael’s AI work and more below:

C L I E N T S

AARP. Aga Khan Museum. Al Jazeera. Amazon Music. Amnesty International. Bloomberg Businessweek. CSIS. Chopard. Conde Nast Portfolio. Conservation International. D La Repubblica. Der Spiegel. Eastern Congo Initiative. Economist. ESPN. Facebook. Financial Times. Fondazione Oelle. Foreign Policy. Fortune. FT Weekend Magazine. Front Line Defenders. GEO. Getty Images. Harper’s Magazine. Harvard Public Health. HBO. Hemispheres. Hyperice. IISS. Ishkar. Land Rover. Land Securities. Le Monde. Live Nation. Magnum Photos. Memac Ogilvy. Men’s Journal. Mobil. Moleskine. Monocle. MSNBC. National Geographic Magazine. New York Magazine. Newsweek. Nike. Nodle. Oprah Winfrey Network. PDN. Pipette. Polka. Save the Children. Smithsonian. Smith & Nephew. Sony. Stanford Medicine X. SYPartners. Tecno Mobile. The Atlantic. The Nature Conservancy. The New Republic. The New York Times. The New York Times Magazine. The New York Times Style Magazine. Time. United Nations. U.S. Army. U.S. Department of State. Vanity Fair. Ventiquattro. Vice. Vogue. Wall Street Journal. Wired. Young & Rubicam.