# Christopher Michel

> Christopher Michel is a San Francisco-based photographer, entrepreneur and investor who founded Military.com, Affinity Labs and Nautilus Ventures. A former U.S. Navy flight officer, he made photography his primary work in 2008 and now serves as artist-in-residence at the National Academies and the Long Now Foundation, documenting scientists, explorers and people at work in demanding environments.

- **Role:** Artist-in-Residence at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and the Long Now Foundation
- **Organizations:** Military.com, Affinity Labs, Nautilus Ventures, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Long Now Foundation, CatchLight, Union of Concerned Scientists, Santa Fe Photographic Workshops, Natural World Safaris, U.S. Navy
- **From:** San Francisco, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Bachelor’s degree, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, MBA, Harvard Business School, Honorary doctorate, Tiffin University
- **Known for:** Founded two technology companies acquired by Monster Worldwide., Created New Heroes, a long-term portrait project documenting scientists and innovators., Appointed the National Academies’ inaugural artist-in-residence in 2021.

## Career timeline

- **1990s** — Served as a Navy P-3C navigator and mission commander, followed by a Pentagon assignment.
- **1998** — Completed his Harvard MBA and developed an interest in photography.
- **1999** — Founded Military.com.
- **2000** — Military.com launched publicly in March; announced 200,000 registered members in May.
- **2004** — Monster acquired Military.com.
- **2006** — Founded Affinity Labs, extending professional community websites to other occupations.
- **2008** — Monster acquired Affinity Labs in January. Michel established Nautilus Ventures and made photography his primary pursuit.
- **2012** — Photographed the Dalai Lama during his MIT visit.
- **2021** — Named inaugural artist-in-residence at the National Academies on March 3.
- **2025** — Named artist-in-residence at the Long Now Foundation on May 27.

## Achievements

- Founded two technology companies acquired by Monster Worldwide.
- Created New Heroes, a long-term portrait project documenting scientists and innovators.
- Appointed the National Academies’ inaugural artist-in-residence in 2021.
- Appointed Long Now artist-in-residence in 2025.
- Photographed at both poles and aboard a U-2 at 70,000 feet.
- Published fine art books including Monochromatic, Rajasthan, Point 95 and Roof of the World.

## Latest updates

- **2025-05** — Long Now announced his artist-in-residence appointment, concurrent with his National Academies role.
- **2025-07** — Photography platform Glass published a spotlight on his portrait and expedition work.

## Links

- Website: https://www.christophermichel.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelchristopher
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/chrismichel
- Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/christophermichel.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chris_michel/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/christopher-michel
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-24