Michelle Bates is an American photographer, teacher and author who specializes in images taken with toy cameras.
"[2] One of the hallmarks of her work is her use of the inherent qualities of cameras with inexpensive plastic lens while conveying a clear artistic style.
[3] Bates prints all of her own work in a darkroom using a hand-cut negative carrier that she made nearly 20 years ago.
[1] Bates has given lectures on plastic and toy cameras to groups all over the world, including the Society for Photographic Education, San Francisco Camerawork, the Center for Creative Photography, the Photographic Center Northwest and at TEDxRainier in 2011.
Her book Plastic Cameras: Toying with Creativity (ISBN 0240814215) is now in its second edition.