verb (used with object), essentialized, essentializing.

to extract the essence from; express the essence of.

distill, render, bolt, clarify, clear, concentrate, distil, edulcorate, express, extract, filter, infuse, leach, melt down, percolate, purify, rectify, refine, screen, separate, sieve, sift, soak, spiritualize, squeeze, steep, strain, sublimate, sublime, try, winnow, wring.

I'm Mike Wolff (aka Wolffmeister) and, as you look at the photographs on my website, I'd like you to become aware of what is important to me, and my passion for photography as a narrative tool and art form.

The photographs here range from intimate portraits and encounters on the streets of Miami, and a body of work inspired by other artists with whom I have collaborated over the years. To seize the image, understanding of the artist, trust and co-operation are essential, and it is important to me to take the time to get it right. I want to bring other people's stories and art to life through the medium of my own artistic expression. 

Here's a little about my background which explains my catholic taste and the eclecticism of my interests: growing up in Switzerland with German parents, I benefited from an international education both at school and at Central St Martins/ University of the Arts in London, where I studied graphic design and developed skills as a photographer. Building on this foundation, I worked in film animation and visual effects for another eight years in London. 

Returning to Switzerland,  I decided to pursue a Master’s degree in  animation direction and photography in Lucerne, Switzerland. This is when it became very important to me to discover how best I could reflect the people and communities that I was photographing, whether they were chance encounters on the street, or communities of artists in a factory setting or woodland.

I bring these the characters t’s stories to life through my own artistic expression but also enrich the textures of a process integral to the art’s creation.