In 1974, Michael Ackerman moved with his family to New York and started photography as an autodidact. He explored the city streets, nightclubs, and various communities. In 1993, he made his first trip to India, where he would return twice. He concentrated on the city of Varanassi. From this work came his first book, End Time City, which was published in 1999 by Robert Delpire and received the Prix Nadar. At the same time, Ackerman had his first of four solo exhibitions at Galerie Vu, Paris. The book Fiction was published in 2001 and Half Life in 2010. Ackerman has collaborated with filmmakers and musicians and often projects his work with sound recordings.