You can hear it in his voice. Michael Bambino is passionate about his art.
An acclaimed photographer for more than 25 years, he launched LUXE & ART — his exclusive by-referral photography gallery and studio — after selling Bambino International, his lucrative photography company, a few years ago. At the time of the sale, Michael was top-of-the-list for couples desiring an artist to capture their wedding day, and his photography company was shooting over 150 weddings a year. Exhausted from promoting others’ work, he decided he wanted to get back to promoting his own.
“I was just another photographer hiding behind my lens, observing, choosing subjects based on what others wanted,” Michael recalls. “One day, I decided to step out into my own frame.
“I wanted to slow everything down so I could focus on my creative photography, which is my passion,” he adds. “I wanted to return to my roots and move away from the day-to-day grind.
“I had to step away from the lure of the dollar,” Michael continues. “I’d been chasing it for 30 years. You’re always trying to be the most popular. You’re trying to do the most volume. You’re trying to get on everyone’s list to be the go-to guy. I don’t want to be known as the biggest, I want to be known as the best. LUXE & ART has become personal for me. It will be the most beautiful work I’ve ever delivered.”
Michael broke the mold of studio photography almost three decades ago, creating photojournalistic portraits in the urban streets of Downtown Cincinnati. “You walk out into the streets of the inner city, and you see things — people, a door, a gate that everybody walks by a million times but they don’t really notice it,” Michael says. “Then you make it into a unique piece of art that tells a story.”
Now he focuses totally on exclusiveness. His unique LUXE & ART collections? Urban streets, bridal couture, commercial branding, and customized artwork.
Michael is famous for creating large, stunning pieces of wall art, especially for residential and corporate spaces. For people who want to make a distinctive statement in their space, Michael’s pieces are exquisitely one-of-a-kind.
“Michael Bambino has helped us capture some of the most amazing moments in our lives. He’s incredibly kind, gracious, and his creativity can’t be compared,” says Paaras Parker, chief human resources officer at Paycor in Cincinnati. “The amount of care he takes in every shot, his patience, and his humor make our sessions a true experience. You can’t walk through one room in our home without seeing work from MB … beautiful cityscapes and family memories that will live on for generations to come.”
Michael’s secret sauce is the way he directs each photoshoot after personally discussing with each client all options, locations, and clothing at the time of scheduling.
For Vikas Sondhi, a managing partner at Huumanize, a digital marketing and design agency in Columbus, Michael, via LUXE & ART, is his tried-and-true photographer.
“Michael can really help drive the vision of what your goals are. He runs the show. Once he comes in, he’s able to direct and produce the content shoots,” Sondhi says. “The quality of the work is immaculate. It works in so many different mediums and formats for businesses and what they need — from print to digital to social content that tells your business’s story.”
Perhaps what’s most inspiring about LUXE & ART is Michael’s approach to connecting with every client and overdelivering on their expectations.
“When I photograph you, it’s a piece of art. I don’t want it to just be a headshot,” Michael says. “You’re putting the photos out there because you’ll never be prouder of your imagery.”
Interested in scheduling your photoshoot with LUXE & ART? Visit luxeandart.com.