Saints Off the Hill: Following His Heart to Untrammeled Locales

The life and career of Michael Berman ’74 has much in common with the landscapes he typically captures in his photography: not confined, entirely free, and—as he told students during his Saints Off the Hill presentation—“untrammeled.”

“I often use that fancy word to describe the wilderness landscapes that I shoot,” said Michael, a professional photographer who has wandered the terrains of the American West, the Mexican Norteño, Mongolia, and more to capture stunning images of these regions. “What interests me most are the untrammeled places big enough to get lost. One of the things you might notice in my shots is the lack of trails to walk on. These areas are so interesting to me.”  

That interest is clearly evident in his work, which he shared with the audience on the big screen in Maguire Auditorium. Michael’s photographic art brings an awareness to the complexity of the biological world and highlights the many influences—mining, grazing, wilderness, timber, water, growth, borders—that impact the land. His photographs are included in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Amon Carter Museum, and the Museum of New Mexico, and his installations, photographs, and paintings have been reviewed in Art in America and exhibited throughout the country.

It all started with a road trip while he was a student at Colorado College, where he studied biology and worked with peregrine falcons before embracing his photographic exploration of the land. “One day, when it began to get cold, some friends and I decided to drive to New Mexico,” he recalled. “We kept going further south and saw the word ‘Gila’ written on a map next to ‘hot springs,’ which sounded good to us. We ended up in these strange but beautiful hot springs within a forest.”

That turned out to be Gila National Forest, best known for its expansive areas that include the first wilderness in the United States—and it would play a major role in Michael’s life. “I kept going back, and many years later, when my wife and I were married and looking for a place to live, we settled in Gila,” he explained. “There is a mystery and magic to the place, and it became my passion.” He would later share that passion in the pages of Gila, his book of striking black-and-white photography in two volumes: Radical Visions and The Enduring Silence.

Michael’s tales of his travels fascinated students, including Seoin “Eva” Choi ’25, who introduced him prior to the talk. “Mr. Berman's presentation was captivating because he was storytelling without any script—similar to how my parents or grandparents would tell me about their lives,” Eva said. “I loved his photos, especially the ones with a wider view of the hills and ranges where the sky stood out as beautiful scenery. His experience of being in the wilderness in complete solitude was so unique.”

Michael has never once regretted the shift from biology to photography he made at Colorado College. “One thing I find interesting is how, when you tell somebody that you are an artist, the first thing people say is, ‘Do you make money?’,” Michael said, “As it turns out, I managed to make a living at it, but that part was never as important to me. It was more the idea of getting out and exploring things. It is a sense of not going just to look at something but finding a place you want to be and learning to see it.”

Following the talk, Chief Advancement Officer Rick Henderson P ’25 thanked Michael and shared one final thought with students. “Fifty years ago, Mr. Berman graduated from this school and walked the same campus you are all on,” Rick said. “Somebody once gave me advice that echoes what he told you today about his journey. If you follow your heart, the money will follow. So I encourage you to think about that as you consider what you want to do in life. Follow your heart, and the rest will take care of itself.” 

It certainly did for Michael, who later that day spoke with photography students in their class. We greatly appreciate his spending time with our Saints!

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