This is the first entry of what I hope will be an ongoing collection of writings about photographers and editors who have contributed to the development of the photographer I am today. I hope that these writings are informative and offer a small measure of appreciation to all those who have shaped my career.
My introduction to Michal Daniel was a bit odd. When I was first learning about photography and photojournalism, there was an online message board called Lightstalkers where people could post questions and get feedback from other photographers. While most people used their actual names, Michal used the moniker “A Stupid Photographer.” His advice and feedback were always spot on, but with some biting snark and abrasiveness. While some were offended by his approach, I chuckled at the cheekiness and absorbed the nuggets of information.
Eventually, we had gotten to the point where we appreciated each other’s sense of humor, and he said he liked my earnestness, so he let me know his real name on the condition that I promise not to reveal it to others. From there, I learned that it was Michal “Misha” Daniel, a theater photographer with a background in photojournalism, but the best part is that he lived in Minneapolis, about a four-hour drive away from me.
Over the years, I noticed he was fighting some inner demons. His blunt critiques became less helpful and turned to trying to be hurtful. I knew that he was prone to outbursts and would regularly drink heavily. Shortly before he left for Prague, I met up with him one last time. He had just ended a long-term relationship, and he was angry. I made him promise that he would stay in touch, but I know that wasn’t going to happen. A little over a year later, I heard the news that he had passed. He drank himself to death over that time.
Michal “Misha” Daniel (1956–2020) was one of the most celebrated theater photographers in the United States, best known for his decades of work documenting performances across the Twin Cities and beyond. Born in Prague, then Czechoslovakia, he left for the United States in 1969, Broadway World later serving in the U.S. Air Force, where he learned photography at Lowry Air Force Base in Denver. Twin Cities PBS After earning his citizenship, he ran his own custom black-and-white photo lab in Minneapolis for two decades while teaching fine black-and-white printing. Broadway World. His theater photography career took off in the 1980s with Theatre de la Jeune Lune, and he went on to shoot productions at the Guthrie Theater, the Minnesota Opera, and New York’s Public Theatre. American Theatre magazine included him on a shortlist of the top theater photographers in the country, and the Star Tribune and his images became a permanent part of the Guthrie’s walls and lightboxes. He also worked with celebrated actors, including Paul Newman and Meryl Streep. Twin Cities PBS