Mike Murat’s talk at Loyola on Thursday, November 20th, gave students the rare opportunity to closely engage with an artist whose journey was anything but linear. Murat is a travel and humanistic street photographer with a strong international presence. Murat began his talk with stories from his days as a street artist, before delving into his inspirations and his personal artistic vision.. 

Although he studied geophysics at St. Louis University, Murat  shared that photography has been a substantial part of his life since high school. 

Murat began experimenting with photography as a teenager by capturing street life, people, and everyday moments of beauty that we often forget to pay attention to, even everyday occurrences like baking, singing, hugging, holding hands and more. 

 These early experiments were the beginning of a lifelong practice, one that he continued to pursue while working as a geophysicist for thirty years. Murat is planning to retire this year to pursue photography full time. 

Murat’s photography has taken him all over the world with exhibits in Venice, Warsaw, and New Orleans. He has also had publications in Leica Photography International, a long standing photography magazine. 

Murat described his artistic style, noting that it is rooted in the humanistic street photography style that was prominent in mid-century France. 

These photos included black and white images that showcased raw and candid human moments like dancing in the street and or playing music.  

Speaking about his choice to shoot without color, Murat said “It’s an abstraction from reality and it allows me to focus on the subject, light, shadows and texture without distractions that color may introduce.  Also it fits the thematic style of my photography.  Traditional humanistic photography is in black and white.”

Murat’s influences range from Henri Cartier-Bresson and Robert Doisneau to Elliot Erwitt, Robert Frank, Joseph Koudelka, and his mentor Peter Turnley. “His black and white photos of Paris feel like stepping into the scene, into life in Paris,  generating a connection between the viewer and the subject.” Murat said of Turnley’s work. 

Professor Kevin Rabalais, who invited Murat to speak , framed his work within a larger viewpoint.“Murat’s work fits beautifully in the lineage of the great humanist photographers such as Henri Cartier-Bresson and Edouard Boubat. Like them, he sets out into the streets in search of joyous moments. And like them, he uses his camera to celebrate life” Rabalais noted.

Rabalais shared the origins of his friendship with Muriat.

“We met about eight years ago while photographing a Courir de Mardi Gras in Church Point, Louisiana. In Mike, I recognized not only a great photographer but someone who is passionate about the history of photography” Rabalais explained, emphasizing that the two of them have ongoing conversations about art and photography.

Murat presented his own photography to students, which spanned from 1989 to present day. 

Each piece was in black and white and featured people, places, and culture rich cities, with both familiar and unfamiliar environments. 

Murat mentioned that he seeks to capture spontaneous interactions and scenes that may have gone unnoticed otherwise. 

Murat chose to speak at Loyola because of his desire to guide and inspire young artists. 

He explained that “An opportunity like this could have made a difference in my education as a college student.” 

Murat wants to help students gain confidence to pursue their dreams just like he did. The goal is that students leave his talk with a deeper understanding of new photographic styles while also understanding that your creative journey doesn’t need to be linear. Murat emphasized the importance of having no preconceived goals or expectations while taking pictures. 

“You walk, you observe, and you look for something that catches your eye,” he explained.

Many students left the talk feeling inspired. Eleanor Boucher- Ferry, a junior studying journalism at Loyola noted what she learned from Murat. 

“Confidence and photography go hand in hand, and it’s important to get out of your comfort zone to talk to people and get shots that are intimidating,” Boucher-Ferry explained. 

Murat’s visit gave students not just an insight into his creative world, but an encouraging reminder that art comes from curiosity, time, and attention.