Bio

Michael Knapstein (b.1956) is a fine-art photographer who has earned international recognition for his insightful and nuanced visual exploration of the American Midwest. A Wisconsin native, he now lives in Middleton, Wisconsin with his wife, Annette. Michael was counted among “14 Inspiring American Artists” by Skillshare and Feature Shoot. The Barcelona Foto Biennale (Barcelona, Spain) named him the International Landscape Photographer of the Year. The Moscow International Foto Awards (Moscow, Russia) named him the International Portfolio Photographer of the Year. The Pollux Awards (Kent, England) named him their Grand Prize Winner and International Landscape/Seascape Photographer of the Year. And Photolucida (Portland, Oregon) named him a Critical Mass Finalist four times. His photographs have been featured in more than 315 exhibitions in a variety of museums, galleries and festivals in more than 20 countries on five continents. Knapstein’s images have also received more than 350 awards in some of the world’s most prestigious photography festivals and competitions. His work is included in numerous public, private and corporate collections, including the George Eastman International Museum of Photography (Rochester, NY), Dubuque Museum of Art (Dubuque, IA), Racine Art Museum (Racine, WI), PNC Bank (Pittsburg, PA) American Girl (Middleton, WI), Hewlet Packard Enterprise (Chippewa Falls, WI) and The Sierra Club (Madison, WI). Knapstein's photographs have received awards from and/or been exhibited by the Royal Photographic Society (England), Prix de la Photographie Paris (France), Les Rencontres d’Arles (France), Grand Prix de la Decouverte (France), Photography Masters Cup (England), Moscow International Foto Awards (Russia), Tokyo International Foto Awards (Japan), LensCulture (Netherlands), Black and White Spider Awards (England), Budapest International Foto Awards (Hungary), Head On Photo Festival (Australia), Lucie International Photography Awards (Los Angeles, CA), New York Center for Photographic Art (NYC), Photo L.A. (Los Angeles, CA), Center for Photographic Art (Carmel, CA), Center for Fine Art Photography (Fort Collins, CO), SE Center for Photography (Greenville, SC), Communication Arts (Menlo Park, CA), Camera USA (Naples, FL) and National Geographic (Washington, D.C.).