We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Michael Bryant a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Michael thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear the story of how you went from this being just an idea to making it into something real.

Nature photography has always been my passion! I’ve been photographing nature over 20 years. Although, people weren’t in the plans, I started my photography business (Michael Bryant Photography) in 2009. Portraits, events and weddings. Photographing nature, wildlife, birds, flowers, insects, etc, was still going on, and it was something I wanted to keep to myself as it was the main reason I purchased a camera. I would sometimes post my nature photos on my Michael Bryant Photography Instagram and Facebook pages. However, I decided to create an Instagram and Facebook page (Nature Man Mike) for all my nature photos. I did this because I didn’t want to post nature photos next to portrait and wedding photos. Around 2017, I started focusing a lot on photographing birds. You can photograph them year round and they are interesting subjects. I’m in Massachusetts so having the ability to photograph birds during the winter is great! I eventually started studying birds, learning more about their habitat, behavior and identification. I eventually started traveling to Costa Rica to photograph birds and other wildlife as well. As time progressed, I gained more knowledge about birds. As a photographer, I was already conducting group and private photography lessons. I came up with an idea to start teaching nature photography workshops. Mainly focusing on birds, wildlife and macro. The idea of leading workshops internationally became an idea as well. I started working on that immediately. One day I was asked to co-lead a bird walk. I was a bit nervous at first, because the information I’ve attained over the years was for myself, not to lead bird walks. I co-led the walk and knew way more than I realized! I was very confident during that walk. Answering people’s questions and identity the birds with ease. The bird walk was at Franklin Park and the Franklin Park Coalition asked if I’d be willing to lead more walks for them. I agreed and that was the start of leading guided bird walks. Nature Man Mike which was only intended as an Instagram handle, became a business. Nature photography workshops, domestic & international and guided bird walks. That’s how Nature Man Mike got started.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Michael Bryant and I’m located in Boston, Ma. I’m a professional photographer, photography instructor, local bird walk guide and I conduct international bird and wildlife photography tours/workshops. I got into this business from my love of nature and photography! Nature photography has always been my passion and my go to when I want to getaway from everything! Just me and nature! I’ve kept this passion to myself and now I’m sharing it with others to enjoy! Teaching folks how to photograph birds and wildlife while encouraging them to appreciate and care for the animals and the habitats they call home. I get a sense of joy when someone who was having trouble understanding their camera settings and difficulty photographing birds gets excited and happy when they finally figure it out. This isn’t just a business to me. This is something I’ve been passionate about since I was a kid!

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Yes, absolutely! I’m big on conservation and I hope to encourage people to care for and protect nature and its inhabitants as well. When I lead bird walks, I always encourage new birders to join. I feel as though, once you start caring about the birds, you’ll eventually start caring about the habitat. I’ve partnered up with several conservation organizations to do bird walks and workshops on habitats they protect. That helps people learn about that particular organization and the habitats they protect. Maybe they’ll get involved with that organization, become a member, volunteer or even an employee continuing the mission!

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I built my audience on social media by being consistent, authentic and having a genuine love for what I do. I post often and keep folks engaged through my stories while out in nature. Sharing my behind the scenes journey with them. A lot of people try to figure out how to work the algorithms on social media. I don’t and honestly, I don’t get my head wrapped up in that. My advice for folks just starting out building a social media presence is to be authentic and consistent. Don’t watch the number of followers and worry about the latest trends. Post what you like. Engage with the folks who comment on your page. Try creating your own trend. Don’t worry about if people will like your post or not. Put it up because you like it and it’s authentically you! Your tribe will eventually gravitate towards you.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.NatureManMike.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/naturemanmike
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/naturemanmike
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@naturemanmike