Days of Punk | BOOK GALLERY
PUNK ROCK PRESS

Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Grecco.

Hi Michael, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, you could tell our readers some of your backstories.
I have been a photographer by trade for more than 30 years, and yes, I started very young. I am at a point in my career where I am looking at who and what I have shot. And building my legacy from there while being open to the changes in the photography industry. I have gone from photojournalist and celebrity portrait/advertising photographer to a fine artist and entrepreneur. I love where I am now. Photographers must adapt to an evolving market, and I have embraced that change.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I am a risk taker, which often leads to big wins and sometimes big losses. The lesson learned from those losses, though, are always worth it. Of course, there are many situations I can look back upon and wish I’d known what the outcome would be or wish I had handled it differently, but there is no going backward. We have to accept the past and live in the present. The best is taking all that experience and knowledge for new ventures, projects, and businesses.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I have been working on editing my historical image archive and creating projects with the images. I recently did this with my unseen Punk, Post Punk, and New Wave images from the ‘70s and ‘80s. This started with a coffee table book but now has grown to a collection of fine art prints, gallery outlets worldwide, and two traveling “Days of Punk” museum exhibitions, one in Europe and one in North America. There is nothing more satisfying as an artist than having your work curated and shown in a museum. The Days of Punk shows are also experiential. I commissioned and collaborated with two of the member of Mission of Burma to create six soundscapes for Days of Punk. I am also working on a video series called “What is Punk,” where new bands in the genre act out what they believe Punk is. These videos are being shown as part of the museum experience.

What do you think about risk? Please talk to us about happiness and what makes you happy.
Family and friends make me the happiest. My wife and I live together, work together, and travel the world together, so our lives need to balance. I am also thrilled when I create a great image or solve a problem in business. It is important to be able to handle both in life. Commercial and fine art photography are about problem-solving when you reduce them to their simplest forms. I take those principles into my business, including my photography practice. When I solve a problem and achieve something, that is very satisfying.

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