Michael Tsegaye grew up in Addis Ababa, attending Cathedral Elementary and Tikur Anbessa High School. He enrolled in the Economics Department of Addis Abeba University before transferring to its School of Fine Arts and Design. There, he received his diploma in painting in 2002 But he subsequently found his passion in photography.
Michael Tsegaye has regularly worked for international publications such as Der Spiegel, Jeune Afrique, and Enorm; as well as the press agencies Bloomberg and Reuters.
Besides his professional work, Michael is a well-known artist focusing on social documentary and art photography. He has exhibited in various galleries in New York, Paris, Berlin, Madrid, Morocco, Canada, Amsterdam, Mali, Miami, and São Paulo. His work can be found in several international magazines and various catalogs including Snap Judgments: New Directions in African Photography, edited by Okwui Enwezor, and published by the International Centre for Photography in New York City in 2007.