Micheal Scholis shares his experience as a young photographer living on the Monterey Peninsula.

The 2025 PhotoCarmel continues. An important part of it is a portfolio review, an opportunity to present one’s works to photography experts. One of those who took advantage of it is Micheal Scholis, a young photographer from Monterey. 

On the day we talk, Scholis is photographing in Washington, D.C. Born in Berkeley, he went to York School in Monterey, where his family now lives. Scholis is now based in Monterey, but he is still looking for his place in the world.

“I haven't quite made it yet,” he says modestly, still in his 20s.

A good portion of Scholis’ work is in black and white. He loves the quality that comes with it, the timelessness. Also, black and white photos are more affordable when it comes to print.

His subject matters are people thrown into an environment, interacting with society and the environment. Scholis’ idols are African-American photographer Roy DeCarava, who is famous for his photography of Harlem, where he grew up. Another is Richard Misrach, who was the keynote speaker at the opening of 2025 PhotoCarmel.

For the portfolio review Scholis submitted 40 photographs taken in San Miguel de Allende in Mexico. He has been a member of the Center for Photographic Art, which is a requirement to apply for a portfolio review.

“The review was really informative,” Scholis says about the time he spent with Chris Pichler, who is the founder of a prestigious photography publisher, Nazraeli Press. “Chris is known for his experience. It was less advice on my photographs, but how to present them.”

Scholis’ current plan is to create a photography salon that would regularly gather young local photographers. “Monterey Peninsula is deeply unaffordable for younger photographers,” he says. “It’s all about ‘nearly dead and newly wed.’ It’s almost impossible to live and work around this beautiful landscape, unless you are well off.”

About the 2025 PhotoCarmel festival, he says: “It’s a necessary evolution.”