Portrait of woman with blonde hair wearing red lipstick with black sleeveless shirt.

vancouver photographer Michele Mateus

I’m a Pisces, that explains a lot.

Photographer. Vinyl collector. Professionally bad at minimalism.

Fine art black and white image of a rose against a black backdrop.

artist statement

My mission is to create photos that are felt, not just seen.
And have a damn good time doing it.

I create because I have to. It’s just how I’m wired.

Photography is how I make sense of being alive, and I’ve learned that feeling of being alive is not one thing. It’s electric and quiet. Vivacious and tender. A belly laugh and a held breath. All of it counts. All of it is worth making art about.

My work lives in that full range. The bold, charged portraits that make you go ‘holy sh*t.’ The still, quiet images that just make you pause. I’m drawn to what lives beneath the surface, the emotions
we all carry but rarely name, and I love finding ways to pull that into the light without making it heavy.

My work isn’t about perfection. It’s about poetry.

And honestly? I have a damn good time making it.

Black and white blurred fine art photo of a white rose.

Black and white portrait of a woman sitting cross legged on the floor wearing a black boysuit and laughing with her hand covering her eyes.

What to expect

We’ll spin records, sip tea, laugh, and we will co-create together.

No pressure. No performance.

The goal: a laid back experience, with photos that will leave you speechless.

You should also know, I have a bit of a potty mouth and I make typos often.

This is me

‘m Michele Mateus, award-winning photographer, mother, activist. Born in Brasil, raised in Canada, where apparently my name is impossible. It’s Micheleee. You’re welcome.

I live with MS and found out later in life that I’ve been powered by an Autistic + ADHD brain all along. I’ve been through enough transformation to fill a very interesting memoir, one that would make you laugh and cry at the same time.

None of it has slowed me down. If anything it’s made me more tuned in, more present, more obsessed with the details most people walk straight past. With an often overstimulated mind I’ve learned to find calm in simplicity; in minimalism, in black and white, in monochromatic palettes that strip away the noise and let you actually see. It’s my nervous system’s way of taking a deep breathe and sighing out my creativity.

Music is the other constant. Always has been. There is something the warmth of vinyl, the ritual of putting a record on, that nothing digital will ever replace and I will die on that hill. It does the same thing a great photograph hanging on a wall does: it makes you stop and actually feel something.

My camera has been with me through all of it. To process, to notice, to feel grounded. As proof that the details no one talks about are worth capturing.

When I’m not photographing people you’ll find me hunting for vinyl, cooking barefoot to a playlist I spent way too long making, catching live music whenever possible, and finding beauty in the overlooked corners of everyday life.

My energy is enthusiastic, encouraging, and genuinely playful, even when the work goes deep. Think spirited Pisces meets old soul meets badas, according to my son, which honestly is the highest compliment I’ve ever received.

I’m not for everyone, and I’m completely okay with that

black and white image of a west coast shoreline with waves meeting the sand

Black and white nature photograph of the beach coastline in Vancouver.

Let’s connect!

You want portraits with soul.

You’re here for the real thing, not the polished version.

You love to get down to a groovy playlist and appreciate a well-placed cuss word.

Then yeah, let’s do this!

let’s chat

Selected work published in

– By The North
– Ripple of Change
– Rangefinder Magazine
– Bold Journey
– Impact Magazine
– Georgia Straight
– The Juno Awards
– The Portrait System
– West Coast Foods
– The Tyee
– See Change Makers
– Vancouver is Awesome
– Vancouver International Jazz Festival
– SAD Magazine
– The Armenian Weekly
– ABC Bookworld
– Vita Daily Blog
– Rocky Mountain Bride
– BC Wedding Awards