Staff

Mike Schweizer
A picture of Mike Schweizer

Mike Schweizer

Hometown: Granville, Ohio

Cameras Owned:Canon 10D, Canon Elan 7, Canon Eos 650, Canon AE-1, Pentax 645, Pentax W10, Nikonos IV, Kodak 120 Bellows, Argus C3, Ricoh Mirai, Ricoh Rangefinder, Lomography Fisheye camera, and 10 to 15 other collector cameras that don’t work.

Story:Michael was born and raised in Ohio, later attending Allegheny College in Meadville PA where he received a degree in Environmental Studies with a Photography focus. After finishing college Michael moved to Missoula in 2004 and three days later began working at the Darkroom. In addition to working full time at the store and managing the repair department, Michael spends his free time skiing, biking, kayaking, scuba diving and raising Lucy, his Fox Red Labrador retriever.

Mike S's Puppy
Daniel Doherty
A picture of Daniel Doherty

Dan Doherty

Hometown: Wyckoff, NJ

Cameras Owned:Canon EOS 3, Canon EOS A2, Canon A1, Nikon FE, Ricoh XR-P, VH1/TE DV

Story:Daniel was born in Virginia, and raised in Illinois, Maryland, and New Jersey. He has since lived in six states and attended five collegesincluding the University of Montana where he is a Journalism major. Daniel was the Dark Room’s digital technician for most of a year before he finally escaped the lab.  He now works in sales and customer service, teaches the Dark Room’s Photoshop class, and helps out in the lab from time to time.  When he’s not working at the Dark Room, Daniel enjoys skiing, cycling, and saving for his next camera.

Mike Patterson

Mike Patterson

Hometown: Denton, MT

Cameras owned:Canon Eos 10D; Canon Eos 1N; Canon Powershot A710 IS; Nikon Coolpix 775; Canon T90; Canon F1; Zeiss Contessa; Graphic 35; Mamiya 645; Mamiya C-3 Twin; Calumet 4x5.

Story:Michael was raised on a ranch in central Montana, then attended the University of Montana & couldn’t bear to leave Missoula. Michael turned a love of photography into his profession. He did a 12-year stint as a wedding photographer and currently owns & manages the Dark Room, where he can help others feed their photography habit. Michael is also involved in local arts & theater, and can be found on the dance floors of Missoula on weekend evenings. If you don’t blink, you can also see him dancing in "A River Runs Through It".

Sarah Velk
A picture of Sarah Velk

Sarah Velk

Hometown: Havre, MT

Cameras owned:Canon Rebel X, Mamiya C3, and a variety of collector cameras. Story: Sarah was born and raised in Havre, Montana then moved to Bozeman to attend massage school. She moved to Missoula in June of 2007 and began working in the lab of the Darkroom. Sarah now works in the lab as well as on the sales floor and plans to attend U of M in the fall. She enjoys spending time with her friends, siblings, and cats. An interest in photography and processing has developed into a hobby for her so far.

Story:Sarah was born and raised in Havre, Montana then moved to Bozeman to attend massage school. She moved to Missoula in June of 2007 and began working in the lab of the Darkroom. Sarah now works in the lab as well as on the sales floor and plans to attend U of M in the fall. She enjoys spending time with her friends, siblings, and cats. An interest in photography and processing has developed into a hobby for her so far.