An Introduction from Technical Consultant Mike Zawadzki

My name is Michael Zawadzki.  I am a Senior Fine Art Studio major at Montclair State University with a concentration in Photography.  My interest in photography stemmed from an initial pursuit in Graphic Design.  Just like people have for decades, I cut my teeth on good old Tri-X400 35mm film.  I was in love from the first time I saw a print developing in the darkroom trays.  Since then I have become a serious student of photography in all formats including medium format, large format, and of course digital imaging.  As I continue to pursue photography I have attempted to explore a wide variety of niches and styles within the medium.  I have photographed sporting events for the Newark Bears, Trenton Thunder, and other minor league baseball teams.  Additionally I have assisted automotive photographer Klaus Schnitzer on his shoots for Bimmer magazine.  For two consecutive years I have also taught a Photography course over the summer at Montclair State University. On my own I have worked numerous freelance events including weddings, concerts, bar/bat mitzvahs, etc...

Even though I am graduating this spring and moving on from my collegiate experience, one of my biggest goals at Unique Photo is to maintain and strengthen my tie to the student community.  I remember walking into the old showroom in Florham Park for the first time as a beginning student, clueless to what I needed to buy for my photo course.  The staff at Unique Photo helped me out a great deal and didn't mind my laundry list of questions.  Since then I have always come to Unique Photo for my photographic needs for both analog and digital photography.  The reason I began working at Unique Photo was based on my tremendous shopping experience as a customer.

I will be doing reviews for the website and blog in addition to writing some general articles on photography equipment.  Any input is greatly appreciated and I hope that my writing will help customers understand products better and which ones they need to make better photographs!

I want to help you regardless if you need a lens cap, tungsten slide film, or a D3x. To me there is no such thing as a "dumb" question and I have no problem spending hours discussing photography even on the most basic level.  Even though I consider myself to be very well versed in several aspects of photography, I am always learning from customers.  I know my colleagues all feel the same way so if you ever have a problem just stop by the showroom or drop me a line at mikez@uniquephoto.com