Michael Zajakowski is the former director of photography at CHICAGO magazine and a cofounder of Chicago’s Prism Photo Workshop, which provides resources and support for young photographers of diverse backgrounds.

Michael has been a photo editor, director of photography, photojournalist and photography educator for more than 40 years, including 20 years as a photo and video editor at the Chicago Tribune.

Michael taught visual communication in the graduate journalism program at DePaul University and digital storytelling at Columbia College Chicago. He is on the advisory board of FreshLens Chicago, a program that provides photography resources to students from underserved areas in Chicago. He also is a long-time jury member of the International Photography Awards.