Michael was previously based in Island Bay, Wellington, New Zealand, where he established a studio and darkroom in his basement garage.

"The banner above represents the best sunset seen in five years, as viewed from the foreshore below the house, looking south-west across Owhiro Bay towards the South Island of New Zealand. From near the same point one can look east across Island Bay to the rugged rocks of Barret Reef and the Pencarrow coastline. That was my inspiration for adopting the name "Bay Images" for my photographic image business.