Michelle Andonian completed her studies in photography at Detroits Center for Creative Studies. Her photographs have appeared in many sections of the Detroit News, where she was a staff photographer from 1983-1986. She is well known for her photographic stories about different ethnic groups, particularly a story on Detroit's Arab-American community, and was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for a body of work created in Israel.

In addition to her local journalistic work, her photographs have been well received and have appeared in many national and international publications. She has worked for such diverse clients as the Salvation Army and the Ford Motor Company. In addition to her work and numerous exhibitions, Andonian is an adjunct instructor of photojournalism at the Center for Creative Studies.