Hi, I’m Michael Sela, a photographer living and working in Japan. Thank you for taking an interest in my art.

I was born in 1998 in Kibbutz Ein Hashofet. One of my clearest memories from childhood is being asked to write down what I wanted to accomplish when I grew up, bury the note, and open it years later. My answer was simple: “to travel the world.”

Equipped with my father’s Pentax Spotmatic film camera, I began wandering through Asia. In March 2019, I reached my dream destination, Japan, which a few years later became my home.

Since then, Japanese culture and aesthetics such as 間 (Ma) and 侘び寂び (Wabi-Sabi) have deeply influenced my photography. Through my project Trust the Contrast, I create black-and-white and film-based work that explores silence, space, and the subtle beauty of everyday life.

On my journey I have experienced love, pain, faith, sorrow, hope, belonging, and many other “colors” of life. My art is my way of giving form to these feelings, not by assigning meaning, but by opening a space where the viewer can meet their own emotions.

My work has been exhibited in museums and cultural spaces in Japan, and I have led workshops that share both the practice of photography and the spirit of Japanese culture. Now I am opening my practice to a wider audience through exhibitions, upcoming photobooks, and limited edition prints available worldwide.

I hope these images reach you. If you would like to connect, collaborate, or simply share your thoughts, feel free to write me at TRUSTHECONTRAST@GMAIL.COM

Thank you for visiting, and for taking the time to pause and trust the contrast.