Description
“March 2018, Ebisu, Tokyo–The great photographer Saul Leiter once remarked that he couldn’t help himself when it came to photographing umbrellas and I think I have some of the same affliction. Tokyo is magic in the rain–the neon, the reflections, and especially the clear umbrellas, they are irresistible to me. I had stumbled out of a cocktail bar with the great Ioanna Morelli of Bar Gyu and was getting soaked as I looked down an alleyway and saw this man, hunched and alone, in some deep contemplation.”
- Michael Magers
About the artist
Born in Dallas in 1976, Michael Magers is a documentary photographer and journalist whose work takes him all over the world. From deep dives into international food cultures to intimate views into the ateliers of traditional artisans, Magers imbues each photograph with a story. In 2013, he stepped back from a corporate career to hone a more creative life and pursue his passion for photography. Based between New York City and Austin, Texas, Michael Magers is a frequent collaborator with the highly acclaimed team at Roads & Kingdoms and served as the lead photographer on their award-winning travel books Rice Noodle Fish (2015) and Grape Olive Pig (2016) published by Harper Collins/Anthony Bourdain. His work has been exhibited internationally–from Cuba to Japan, Paris to New York–and appeared in a wide range of digital and print publications including TIME, Smithsonian, CNN, and The Washington Post, to name just a few. In 2019, he released his first monograph, Independent Mysteries, a selection images from his years on the road juxtaposed with original writing from his friends and collaborators.