photo steward Mike Altishin

As you know, Laguna Beach Best never receives payment of any kind to promote what we consider the “best of” Laguna Beach here. That wouldn’t be fair to you, the reader. So, when we promote people like the guy I’m about to mention, rest assured, this is a serious talent we simply think you deserve to know!

Before you let your visiting relatives and friends out there with an iPhone for a camera, and before you sign up for the prerogative family beach photo for your annual holiday card, I have a better idea for you:

Photographer Mike Altishin, a former alum of Laguna Beach High School, recently returned to our village to reinstitute his roots, and he’s making quite an impression in the process.

Several months ago, I met Mike and his lovely wife, Angelina, at Laguna Coffee (where else?) when they were just getting re-settled in our little berg. They’re the kind of people you instantly bond with because they have so much liveliness and appreciation about them.    

Now that he’s officially “retired” from the job that tied him to Las Vegas, Mike has expanded on his hobby love – he’s an extraordinary photographer.

Look just about anywhere now, and you’ll likely see his handiwork online, in printed pieces, and in promotional work all over town. Once you begin to recognize his style, you’re going to immediately spot it. It’s that unique.

He’s travelled quite a bit in his day, so when he came back to Laguna Beach, he decide to devote a large portion of his photography business to travelers who are looking for documentation of their trip. He calls himself “The Photo Steward,” having been inspired by the life documentation his grandfather used to do (the first “photo steward”) .

Whether travelers are here in Laguna Beach or anywhere in the world, Mike quietly packs himself along, taking numerous casual and spontaneous shots that are absolute perfection. Whether new couples, honeymooning couples, families, family reunions, business retreat peeps or just friends kicking back together, Mike manages to capture the personalities and memorable fun in a very creative way.

He does innovative portraits, too, and is already out there helping families come up with something a little more unique than the standard “family on a rock at the beach” scene for the annual holiday postcard. 

Contact Mike@PhotoSteward.com or call him direct, (949) 484-3305. 

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