Michael Crouser

I was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1962 and graduated from Saint John's University (Collegeville, MN) in 1985. I began making photographs in earnest at the age of 14, when I set up a darkroom in my parents' basement. The darkroom is still where I think much of the magic of photography takes place, and I still love honing the raw material of a negative into something beautiful, poignant and unique. All of the work available here on has been shot on Tri-X film and printed, by me, in a traditional darkroom.

I have produced three books of my photography. The first, LOS TOROS, took me fifteen years to shoot, and was published in 2007 by Twin Palms Publishers. The book is still available at their website. LOS TOROS won first prize in the 2008 International Photography Awards in the category of Fine Art Book. The follow up book, DOG RUN, was published in 2008 by Viking, and was selected as a top ten photography book of the year by the photography annuals of both PhotoDistrict News and Communication Arts. My third book, called MOUNTAIN RANCH, will be released in June of 2017 by The University of Texas Press. This collection explores the traditional elements of the disappearing world of cattle ranching in the mountains of Color...

BA in English from Saint John's University (Collegeville, MN).

Upcoming exhibitions include:
July 2017 - ClampArt Gallery, NYC - "Mountain Ranch"

May 2017 - Minneapolis Photo Cener - "Mountain Ranch"

March 2017 - Eiteljorg Museum, Indianapolis - "Dogs: Faithful and True", group show featuring work from "Dog Run"

December 2016 - Pictura Gallery, Bloomington, IN - Selections from Various Series