SkySong Center, Phoenix

When Mike Maez purchased his first digital camera in 2001, it was love at first snapshot. Swapping his previous day job for a life behind the lens, Maez has since filled his portfolio with more than 40 magazine covers, publishing work for Getty, the Boston Globe, and corporate clients including AOL, Microsoft, and Ford. This infectious enthusiasm extends to his portraiture, helping him immortalize wedding days, graduations, or sack-race victories with complete photographic packages rendered in digital formats or appealing albums. Mike also teaches students to become self-sufficient shooters with photography workshops, during which classes combine hands-on experience and classroom work to teach pupils how to attractively compose and light their shots.