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PHOTOGRAPHERS OF DESIGN

>>> Michael Baxter, Phoenix, Arizona

Sometimes, the best-laid plans don't exactly go awry. For Phoenix photographer Michael Baxter, those plans just wound up taking him in a different direction.

Baxter went to school at the University of Arizona in Tucson, intent on becoming a cinematographer in the film industry of Southern California. He studied media arts, learning audio, video, still photography, computer animation and cinematography.

By the time he received his BFA in 1998, though, he realized that the Los Angeles scene was not for him. "I'm a family man," says Baxter, "and L.A. didn't have much appeal to me."

He'd also met his future wife, Heather, and decided to get a job in Phoenix, his hometown. To earn money, Baxter took a job at a vehicle-testing facility — a business that investigates crashes — in their visual communications department. "Yes, I was using my degree, but it was more technical and engineering than creative," Baxter reflects. "It really wasn't my thing."

Scottsdale residence by architect David Hovey.

After four years, he decided to jump into the freelance world, "renting" himself out as a videographer, editor or any other position that required his film-school background. In 2004, his career took its present path when a friend who is a real estate agent asked him to do still photography of a house for marketing purposes.

"I'd always had a still camera and enjoyed shooting sunsets and things like that," Baxter explains. "I also had taught myself Photoshop." Shooting photographs, then, was within Baxter's realm; shooting houses was exactly what he seemed destined to do.

A kitchen by Julian's Fine Cabinetry, Scottsdale.

"From that first house, I got hooked on architectural photography," he says. "It was a resale home in Glendale (a suburb of Phoenix), and I think I did a pretty good job on it. Looking back, though, I can see I've improved my technique by leaps and bounds."

Baxter's architectural-photography business has also grown exponentially. The images he shot for the real estate agent were used in advertisements for publications produced by the Arizona Republic, the Phoenix-based daily newspaper. Before long, Baxter was also shooting for the editorial side of those publications. The editorial spreads led to shoots for architects, interior designers, builders, stone-flooring vendors and cabinetry companies. "One thing seems to lead to another," he notes.

An Arizona residence by Luis Corona and Michael Barron, Casa del Encanto, Scottsdale.

Today, much of Baxter's work is residential, but the commercial component is growing. He recently returned from Denver, where he shot medical office buildings. Baxter works without an assistant ("I need the exercise," he quips), but is often aided by Heather, who helps with styling and runs the business side of Baxter Imaging.

"I think what sets me apart is my desire to capture 'pretty' images," says Baxter, who's recently joined the Association of Independent Architectural Photographers. "I'm known for the vibrancy of color in my photographs. With my technical background, I can achieve that creative vision."

A Scottsdale residence by architect David Hovey.

Baxter may not have gone Hollywood, but his cinematographer's eye has found its place in the world of architectural photography.

Baxter Imaging, Phoenix, AZ; (623) 876-1583 or www.baxterimaging.com.