Michael Turek

British-American photographer Michael Turek works on documentary assignments for publications including The Financial Times, The Guardian, The New York Times and The Paris Review. His career has taken him to challenging environments from Iraq to Tajikistan, often collaborating with writers on long-form stories.

Turek graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology in 2004 and moved to New York City, where he spent years assisting established photographers before launching his own practice. He started with fashion and portrait work but gradually shifted toward documentary and reportage photography, discovering he preferred working subtractively in the field rather than building scenes in studios.

His book SIBERIA, published by Damiani in 2020, resulted from three years of work in Russia alongside writer Sophy Roberts. His second book, CONTRAIL, was published by Roman Nvmerals in 2021 and is included in the MoMA Archives and Library. He has received recognition from American Photography, Communication Arts, and Photo District News multiple times. He is a Kodak ambassador and leads workshops with Leica Store Miami.

Turek currently splits his time between commercial assignments and two long-term documentary projects in East Africa and northern England. His personal work often explores the intersection of memory and place, using experimental techniques alongside his traditional documentary approach. (Website, Instagram)