Jun
30
2009
The blog has been quiet for a week or so, and for good reason. I’m currently conceptualizing a large-scale photography project. It will involve the community, creating inspiring pictures, and best of all, it’ll cost you, the ones getting your photo taken, absolutely nothing. More to come on that once I have it all polished off. Keep checking back for more info on this as well as a signup form to get in line to participate in this free project.
I got a new toy a couple weeks ago when Apple updated their line of Macbook Pros. Up until now I have only had my 24″ iMac at home to editing my photos. It’s great and all, and it is definitely the preferred machine for my creative work, with that beautiful 24″ screen, however, I can’t take it with me. Enter the MacBook Pro. Having the ability to view, edit, and export my photographs before I’ve even left the shoot location is awesome, all with the style, speed, and power the Apple system and software allows. This thing is literally a full-powered mobile editing studio (I opted for the beefy model). I love the fact that when I’m struck by a creative bolt of lightning I can just open this thing up where ever I’m at and have every single tool I use at home on my iMac right in my lap (this thing doesn’t leave my side). Hopefully the new computer edition will allow me to get a little more consistent on my blog as well (crossing fingers).
Jun
20
2009It’s here! I can’t thank my good friend, Andy Lahmann of P51 Pictures, enough for capturing the fun, energy, and time that goes into my shoots as well as he did, and cutting it together so well. I know I can’t stop watching this video, and I’m sure you’ll enjoy it as well. Andy shadowed myself, the models, and the crew as we worked two locations back in April. A looong day, starting with a 4:30am wakeup and wrapping the second shoot of the day at 6pm.
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We had a lot of fun that day, got some great pictures, and I think this video really shows that.
The above view is reduced viewing size to fit the blog, you can view a full size copy by clicking the image below (movie starts playing automatically after first slide).
May
31
2009
The above picture captured today of my cat, Toby, pretty much sums up my day. We all lazily relaxed and got a few yawns in. Last week when I setup the studio for the first time I stuck a little point and shoot camera with video capability in the corner of the room to capture the process. I made a time lapse video out of it, threw some music on it, and put a couple photos from the test shoot with Lisa on the end. Nothing too awesome, just a little more insight into my biz. Enjoy. There is also a larger, better copy located in my portfolio and inside the video section.
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May
26
2009
The studio is ready for clients! Lisa was so kind as to help me test the newly created “seamless” setup. Seamless, meaning your subject(s) are completely wrapped in a pure white environment, giving the appearance that you are floating in a white abyss – no corners, light fall-off, or other elements that would ruin the effect. This look is accomplished using a very very large roll of paper, tile board (for reflection), and properly calibrated background and subject lighting.
Seamless is an extremely versatile environment to shoot in, perfect for headshots, product photography, really anything that you want a nice clean look to also making it very easy to add your own background in post. Not that I’m a huge advocate for photoshoppin’ a picture, but clients needing marketing pictures will find these types of shots very easy to alter and/or combine with other graphics for product flyers and such.
I’m shooting studio sessions with post editing for as low as $79, so come on down!
Apr
11
2009[media id=1 width=480 height=360]
Full Quality Copy can be downloaded here
I have cut together a short video from last weekend’s shoots. A huge thanks to my good friend, Andy, for providing the short video snippets and pictures of me in action. Without his contribution to the weekend, this video would have not been possible.
I’m excited about the release of this video, as I think it will give viewers a small peek into what goes on during a shoot, the passion and drive behind Matty Photography, and inspire those to go out and create regardless what it is you do in life.
I have a big shoot coming up in the end of April, and I’m hoping that I will have a person or two there to document the whole thing from start to finish, and that will be a great video addition to the site!
Jan
03
2009
Image courtesy of Andy L.
What a great holiday weekend in Bellingham! Thanks to my three great models – Jolaina, Myrriah, and Mandy, I got to shoot to my hearts content. And… apparently my heart was content at about hour 13 of shooting in just over a 24 hour period. Thanks to my very good friend, Andy, we were able to gain access to some exclusive and extremely cool locations! Just rolling back into Tacoma, I haven’t had time to process the pics, but I wanted to update the site and give you a peak and a couple behind the scenes shots Andy was awesome enough to take of me in action. Enjoy, and check back very soon for new galleries of these spectacular shoots!
Image courtesy of Andy L.
Dec
28
2008
Wow, what a great holiday break! The PNW doesn’t get much snow, and it rarely is in good form during Christmas, but boy, did it fail to disappoint this year. As much as I would have wanted to, I didn’t get to go on any outdoor shoots over the break. It is definitely a hectic time. Between the shopping, family traveling, and the weather being so bad that I couldn’t get my own car out of the driveway, I just didn’t get the opportunity to get any great shots of the snowy landscapes.
I did however manage to snap a quick few out of my parents front door in Olympia, on Christmas Day, one being the picture above. They had 20 inches in Olympia, and unless you had an AWD vehicle, you weren’t going anywhere.
I’ve grown tired of seeing the snow here in Tacoma, as it just makes getting around miserable, however, it definitely has increased my want to hit the mountain for snowboarding very soon!
Dec
15
2008
It’s that time, where my photography has reached a level where a recognizable brand image is becoming more important. Finding it a good transition time, I’ve also changed the ‘name’ of the business from “Matthew McDaniel Photography” to “Matty Photography.” It’s shorter, therefore, easier to remember, easier to be creative with, graphically, and a little more playful.
So, my older pictures will still be tagged with my old watermark, and both matt and matthewmcdanielphotography.com will still get people to my site, but my “main” domain name and branding will be under “mattyphotography.com.”
Happy viewing! 
Nov
28
2008
I couldn’t tell you how many of my favorite captures fall into the ‘at the right place at the right time’ category. By that, I mean the pictures that I just happened to have my camera either in my bag, in my hands, or in my hands and on. Absolutely nothing about the pictures are planned, at least for the most part. Just a moment that sneaks up on you and you go “oh, that’s cool” – proceeded by a ‘click.’ Always having a camera on you during the majority of your leisure time is a fantastic idea.
Take exhibit A – the photo above. I was out to shoot pictures that day, on a hike out to the Narrows Bridge, my primary objective for the shoot. The bridge is a great place to shoot, however, it’s about a 2 mile hike through some wooded trails and train tracks to get there. The train tracks here just so happen to be very highly trafficked by it’s regular commuters about every 30 minutes or so. As I was walking, on the dead track that is, I looked back at this annoyingly loud machine making it’s way towards me.
Now, I wish that I could tell you that I had been camping there, planning, waiting at this perfect spot where the train rounds this bend, the sun rays where breaking through the tree line, the walking bridge above (where you can only see it’s support on the left) to help better frame the shot, and for the train lights to put out a perfect shine towards my camera. Nope… just walking along, granted camera in hand and on, as I was shooting scenery along my walk, but it was just one of those simple “oh look… cool…. click” moments. I turned, took about 5 seconds to get my framing, and hit the button.
It’s nice to have the satisfaction of planning a day of photos and having all the planning and work pay off with some great captures, however, like the pic above, it was completely unplanned, shot from the hip, and a close tie for my fav pic of the day.
I always try to have a camera on me whenever I’m out and about, and really… anytime I’m not at my job or working out I usually have it on my side. Cause you never know when that train will come sneaking up on you, giving you a great shot.
Nov
20
2008
Every time I hear the words “weapon of choice,” I think of Christopher Walken dancing around like a fool in Fatboy Slim’s music video. And to be honest, the first time I slapped the Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM lens on my camera body, I felt like dancing like Chris too.
For years, I have shot with a wide variety of lenses, however, none of them were prime (a lens that does not zoom, and set at one focal distance). I knew that they were supposed to be a bit sharper than zoom lenses, but man… this baby is sharp. And not only can you shave with this thing, it is super fast glass, at f 1.4. Which means it can shoot much faster shutter speeds in much lower lighting conditions. And set all the way down to f 1.4, the depth of field is amazing. Your subjects pop and are completely separated from the blurred background with a beautiful bokeh.
Yes, being a prime lens, you have to use those things called legs much more often, walking back and forward, to get proper framing of your subject(s), but I assure you, the extra couple steps needed are well worth it. Having to adjust to work without zoom capabilities will most likely improve your photography skills and awareness, and framing your shots will be much more selective. With that said, this wouldn’t be what you’d call a great ‘walk-around lens.’ Well, unless you want to do A LOT of walking, but you’ll find you will not get the shots you could with a nice zoom lens walking around town, or any other shooting situation where your composition is constantly changing.
I use a variety of different lenses in my work, from wide angle to super zoom. I’ve used qualities from the very basic kit lens to the best “L” glass Canon makes, and I’m here to tell you that this is my favorite lens. At a fraction of the cost of my L glass, it’s picture quality is amazing. If knowing what I knew now when I was first getting into portraiture, this would be the first lens I would buy. Don’t let the word “prime” scare you away from buying. This and the 70-200mm L are the ideal portraiture lenses.
Canon also makes a cheaper 50mm lens (Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II), it can be yours for 85 bucks! The build and picture quality is lower, but hell, at that price you can’t go wrong!
Nov
11
2008
Long exposures can produce some excellent night captures. Messing with shutter speeds longer than a couple seconds can reveal interesting new avenues to play with light. The displayed picture is 20 second long exposure of the Tacoma industrial area at 10:30pm. The stacks’ smoke is getting carried by the wind, and with the longer shutter speed, the smoke’s trail is exaggerated and smoothed out. As similar effect is taking place with the water, as waves captured over 20 seconds of time give the overall soft look.
This type of photography takes a lot of patience and practice, but the end result can be very satisfying.
If you have a camera and a tripod/stready surface, I’d encourage everyone to get out and try it. Most all cameras, even most point and shoots, can be set to do exposures of 30 seconds.
Nov
05
2008Starting this weekend (Nov 8th), I will be displaying my photography at Cork!, a wine bar located on 6th Ave in Tacoma.
Through my past lines of work, I’ve had my photographs displayed on the side of buses, and in nationally published magazines, however, the work was used to advertise the companies I worked for. This time it will be my work with my name on it, so it is very exciting.
The 12 x 18 prints on display will be for sale, as framed and finished pieces. If you get a chance, stop by and take a look!
