Author: Matt

matty_7.1.11_ 184 During my stay in Arizona, I spent time in both Flagstaff and Phoenix. I spent the first couple days catching-up with some distant family who live in Flagstaff. The McKone family were a big help for me, as I wanted to photograph some of the surrounding area, but aside from the Grand Canyon, I didn't have a clue on what was around, so I didn't know where to start. Luckily, Rod and Ann Marie, along with their two sons, Richie and Mike, knew plenty of locations to take me. First thing was first, we wanted to make a new family portrait for the troupe. So, after shortly after pulling into flagstaff after a 21-hour drive, we were back in the car headed for Sedona. I travel a quite a bit for my work, but the bulk is done all in Washington, so my environmental equilibrium never gets too rattled. Extreme environment, weather, temperature, altitude changes, and even sunrise and sunset times were all way off from the norm for me. Predictability of the photographic outcome was kinda non-existent, and it being my first day in the place, taking a family portrait, I had no idea what kind of photos we were going to walk away with. I didn't even know what the final location for the photos would be, what the background was going to be composed of, if the sun was going to be in front or behind the subjects. We packed the car up with people and gear and hit the road

matty_7.2.11_ 126 As fast as the trip arrived, it has gone just a quickly. The trip to Arizona for some work, some vaca time, and if other photo opportunities presented themselves I'd take them. But... when it's 110 degrees out, you aren't exactly hunting for them. Sitting inside of the hotel room, it's easy to say, "yes, let's go do a shoot!" The second you open the door of your A/C'd room, the heat smacks your body with the mind-changing power that takes photographic ambitions and melts them away, leaving the sole desire to jump in the pool. The heat consumes your mind just like when you have to go the bathroom really bad, with concentration lost, all you can think about is your body trying to escape it. That's pretty much how my time in Phoenix has gone. I'm guessing a lot of you heard or read about the haboob that blew through Phoenix. A haboob is a giant dust storm, and this one was a mile high and about 100 miles wide, so yeah... it was pretty crazy. People have lived here their whole lives and said they've never seen anything like it. I guess I'm just that lucky of a guy. We were out eating when it came in, and we and to try and drive home in it. The dust was so thick that I missed a couple turns back to the hotel.

matty_7.4.11_ 002 First day here in Phoenix, spending most of the day relaxing by the pool and trying to stay cool in the 100+ temps. How do you people handle these extreme temps for extended periods of time?! Did you get lost in the desert and just give up trying to find a way out? Anywho, it's nice for like... a week, max, and after that I'm done. So it's the fourth of July. If you could pick a couple locations where you can count on a nice, dry evening for a fireworks show, I bet Arizona would probably be on that list. Well, just so happens I'm in Arizona, Phoenix of all places, and we had an amazing lightning storm roll through. I couldn't imagine a fireworks show took place tonight, cause it was raining hardcore (think that's why they call it a monsoon). Restricted to the hotel room, all I could do was watch and listen as nature put on it's own fourth show. I tossed a camera on a tripod and attempted to capture some bolts of lightning off the back porch. It was a small window of the sky to capture, but I did get a couple captures. Nothing special, just something fun.

matty_7.2.11_ 132 A few days into my stay here in Arizona. Couldn't pass up the opportunity to photograph the Grand Canyon. Talk about a giant hole in the ground. Really makes you appreciate time and how little humans have spent on this planet, looking at the gapping hole in the earth, a product of 17 million years of erosion by the Colorado River. Talk about perspective... Photo above of yours truly, snapping some photos from one of the viewpoints along the route. Little warm on the journey out, indicating 103 degrees during a pitstop. Completed a family portrait shoot the other day in Sedona. The background looks fake, in fact, I bet some people might just automatically assume the photos are photoshopped. It was scenic to say the least. Those photos are coming soon to the blog. I hoping to squeeze in some other portraits while I'm here if the opportunity arises. Stay tuned for more from Arizona.

matty_5.21.11_ 208 Portraiture, it's a pretty simple idea... taking photos of people. Wait... it's not so easy... dang it. As simple as a portrait concept may be, anyone who has consciously gone out and attempted to take photos with a purpose finds out real quick it is not such a simple job. The translation from idea to materialization is not so simple and quite hard to make these two matchup well. We are talking nearly infinite avenues in which to photograph a person when factors like location of subject, style of lighting, actions of subject, etc. come into play. It's telling a visual story, no words need be spoken. What kind of story do you want to tell for viewing eyes? The idea drives the photographic work, sculpts the final product. On the topic of bringing mental visions to live, it goes beyond, "hey, I want to photograph _____," and loosely photographing a subject matter for a few hours in a location that roughly works and produces the basic idea. No, this rough/loose approach won't work 90% of the time for those who want that image in their mind. It's really drilling down, not compromising, nailing that exact image in your head. Is the image in your head the image that you want to produce, or simply an inspiring idea to branch-out to some other visual? How do you make this all come together in the concept and planning stages so that you setup for success at the actual shoot? These are things I ask myself, being realistic, and not expecting magic to happen without giving a major contribution on my behalf before I even walk in to the shoot.

IMG_1137 A few months ago, I began a relationship with Talk It Up TV, a video production business in Bellingham. I produce on-location photography for the team, capturing behind the scenes stuff, fun things that catch my eye, etc. They'll use the photography both on their website as well as some stills in the shows themselves. It's been fun, it always brings something fresh for me to capture. My favorite shoot to-date was with Jesse Brand, a talented country artist who is steadily making his claim to fame in the music industry. Better yet, he is from the small town of Ferndale (if you don't know the place, it's one of those you swear you could toss a rock from one side and hit the other end of town). Talk TV got whiff that he was going to be in the area and snagged an interview with him. The Talk TV productions are swift, always around two hours for a shoot, from arriving and scoping out the environment, to shooting and packing back up. They are quick and dirty productions, but they always amazingly piece together an entertaining segment. This leaves my shooting fairly light, I kinda play the fly on the wall for most of the shoots, taking a snap when I can. It's a challenge to capture a good chunk of visually engaging materials since I can't be popping off flashes, heck, even taking pictures in general when they are filming (the shutter on my camera is pretty loud, and it's not a good practice to have a camera shutter competing with the voices of our interview). The photos are hit and miss, and I'm ok with that, it's what I have to work with.

matty_6.18.11_ 027 These photos are a result of a slow Saturday evening. My weekends are usually booked with clients, in and out of town, lots of driving, shooting, and long days. So when a weekend comes around when I don't have to leave town or have a group of shoots, it kind of freaks me out. Hence the result of this last Saturday. Did a bit of photography studio training for a commercial client's employees, and a bit of graphic design, but the later half of the evening left me wanting to photograph something, something new. I decided to freeze water in motion, cause... well, sometimes it's nice to take a break from portraiture. This is one of the things I mention in my workshops when talking about advantages and disadvantages of photography and cameras in relation to the human eye and our perception. Sure, you can tell someone that they can freeze motion with a camera, and they'll most likely think of catching someone laughing or someone jumping in mid air. That's fun and all, but man... it gets a lot more intense and interesting than that. I'm talking about magic that can happen while playing with 1/8,000th of a second captures. At these speeds you can literally see science, the whole action/reaction sequence at play.

track A pop, a flash, a split second later, a photograph is made. But this photograph... it's got some spice to it, something you can't see with your eyes, and there is a lot more going on than you might think in order to make that photograph. Spoiler alert... it's off-camera flash lighting. Most of us know about flash, and how it "helps" us take photos, but most don't know what you can do with it when you know enough to control flash and manipulate your environment (photographically). I'll spare you non-photographers the details, but this is the method I use 85% of the time I have a camera in front of my face. A literal carload of lighting equipment follows me to every shoot. It's a giant pain in the ass, a couple hundred pounds of equipment, cords, battery packs, etc. to lug around from shoot to shoot, but in the end, all of it is worth it, well worth it. Photos with or without lighting is a night-and-day difference. To light, or not to light, it's not really a question in my book, as I'm lighting my compositions every chance I get. After the first shoot I ever did with off-camera lighting a few years back, I was hooked, and I haven't looked back since. These are the photos that make people stop and look, appreciate the uniqueness that otherwise couldn't have been achieved without some kind of lighting intervention/manipulation.

matty_6.3.11_ 127 Project Showcase made it's appearance last Friday at the Toledo High School as Andy and I spent the day capturing photo and video content and talking to the entire student body at an assembly. We were on a wickedly crammed schedule. Our goal was to come down and create some powerful, dramatic photographs to display in the community, photos of various students in specific compositions, and get everyone pumped up (which it totally will). Somehow, we decided that 11 of these deliberate, high-caliber shoots could be done in one day. That's right, 11 shoots, 11 different locations, situations, students, all with their own specific idea to showcase, and all executed in an 8 hour timeline. No, we didn't scout the day before, we didn't map it all out, but we did have a history of knowing the school from our days as students there, so we felt it wasn't too necessary. All we had was a piece of paper with the basic subject matter for each concept. It was a run-and-gun situation, which gave the day a little more excitement/stress sprinkled on top with such a hefty goal. Oh, if you are totally lost on what the heck I'm talking about, visit ProjectShowcase.org. So, before the first school bell rang, we were already headed to our first shoot location. Luckily, the school staff pre-selected students for our basic concepts, and the entire school was aware and extremely accommodating of our little circus act going on that day. The staff also appointed us with 5 student helpers for the day. Thank God too, cause I had a stupid amount of gear to lug around... 11 times. Setup, teardown, and packing gets a little crazy with so much stuff, so the extra hands were super appreciated. A little training on the side and the helpers were breaking down my lighting gear and packing by the third shoot all by themselves, it was a well-oiled machine. They really did a great job and saved us a ton of time, making our crazy goal reachable.

matty_5.14.11_ 224 Last month, one of my regular clients, Tiare Floral Design, was chosen to accent the Gala Fundraiser at the Northwest African American Museum with his floral designs. Owner, Tomasi Boselawa, asked me to attend so that I could photograph his work that would be spread throughout the museum. I have captured Tomasi's work many times, but this was the first at a live event, as all the other occasions were in a staged setting and lighting. This time around I'd be capturing it with the existing lighting. The assignment was just that - capture the flowers in an event setting, to showcase this in a realistic event environment. It's funny how you have to present things to people like this, as if seeing well-photographed floral designs in a studio doesn't translate to the possibility of it sitting on a table at an event. But I get it, and I was happy to attend and photograph the designs in such an environment.

toledoClouds No, not "old school" as in an old photograph, or even a comedy movie reference, but literally... old school. Like... driving back to the small town I attended high school at, a place I've maybe visited twice since graduating about 11 years ago now. A defining moment I think is brewing in this old town. It's something you can kinda smell in the air, lots of exciting things just around the corner for this place. In short, the town of Toledo, WA is hurtin'. The community as a whole (including schools, residents, and the local businesses) is slowly eroding away, something Toledo has witnessed within the towns that share it's very boarders. People new and old, past and present residents don't want to see it fade away in the wind, and they are trying to do something about it. They've created "vision: Toledo," a group of community members who are pulling together to see what they can do inject life back into Toledo. Being a past resident and student myself, I found it important to do what I could to join the movement. I think attending a small school, actually getting to call everyone in the school by their first names, literally knowing each and every person in the school, and feeling that true sense of community is a privilege. I've moved a lot in my life and I got a steady taste of larger schools. In the bigger places it seems like you are just another kid in the giant herd, another tally to an already large number of students, and never really getting that sense of community, cause... well that community is just so big you never really get the full scope of things. I made the conscious decision to attend the Toledo school, see what all the small town fuss was about. Turns out it really was a different kind of experience, something that felt more meaningful, more substantial. Everything from having a better relationship with all the teachers, to sports, to not having to use last names with every peer reference... it was nice. I think I turned out different, better than I would have than if I had attended a larger school, maybe even leaving school feeling like I had a better grasp on my own identity.

matty_5.21.11_-328 Keeping the ball rolling, the camera clicking, and the flashes poppin' this week up in Bellingham with quite the variety of shoots. Completed a photo/video shoot with a tango couple, and you'll see that content soon. Until then, here are some BTS photos from the shoot! The colorful/ugly drapes in the background windows are not really drapes, just fabric we've clamped in front of the windows to block the daylight so that we could blackout the room, improvising in a not-so-ideal location. What's up with the funky couch? Well... I just found in hanging out in the hallway, I liked it, I worked it in the shoot.

matty_5.17.11_ 282 This has to be my favorite family portrait shoot to date. It also happened to be the largest yet, with 14 (if you count the bulldog). Where do you effectively prop this many people without it looking boring? You have to find the right location which is a good compromise of lighting everyone well, everyone looking naturally posed, and make a fun looking photograph. After all, if we wanted everyone standing uniform, lacking any kind of creativity, they may as well get their portrait at Sears. To ensure I accomplished all of the above, I went scouting the day prior to the shoot, making sure the location would foster the right kind of fun, natural shots I was after for such a large group. I picked a location in the North end of Tacoma. Within a small area we had lots of options, lots of different props to stand, lean, and sit on. This made my job easier, allowed the family members to situate themselves without much direction from me, and that lead to more natural looking photos. If people sit themselves you get a picture of "them." It made things move much quicker and we got a lot more photos take. Was the posing "picture perfect?" Absolutely not, and that, in my opinion, is what makes them work that much better. It's a half posed, half candid style.

storeOpening It's finally here. I've been wanting to create an online store for years now, and just finally got around to doing it. What is the online store? Well, it's place where you can purchase my work in any size and quantity you'd like. The prints are produced by BayPhoto, a professional print shop used by the photography professionals. They produce great prints, have great prices, and deliver right to your door. I've made various photos of mine available at the store, however, I will now be using this store as the vessel for my clients to order prints of their photo shoots. You can visit the store anytime by clicking the button at the top of the page. Visit often as I will be consistently adding new content!

matty_12.13.10_ 441 Where to start with this post... Well, let's start with the background story. Last December, I traveled to Maui to photograph a wedding over there. I made the most of out the trip and booked my stay for a week, giving me a couple days of prep for the wedding, then the wedding, and a couple days of pure relaxation on the island after the wedding craziness. These last few days left us seeking fun island activities, and being the adventurous group that we were, we decided on a jungle hike. Now... This hike was located on the eastern tip of the island, we were staying on the west end, so a road trip was in order. For an island, Maui is quite diverse due to the mountains at the center of the islands. Believe it or not, these mountains were large enough to create very extreme differences in climate and landscape on opposite sides of the mountain. It was like experiencing Washington State, but instead of having to drive hundreds of miles, you only had to drive 30 to go from luscious greenery to brown desert landscapes. I would think there may be dryer parts of the island than others, but nothing like this...

matty_5.20.11_ 007 It's been kind of a crazy week and a half, with all kinds of subject matter in front of my lens. Seven shoots in the last nine days, ranging from fashion to product to aerial photography. It's been a couple days since my last post and just wanted to check-in with you guys. Lots coming your way via the blog here in the days to come. I don't want to try and guess the sheer number of photos that have been imported onto my laptop during this last nine days, I just try to keep pushing on and pumping out photo album for my amazing clients. I think I should have something presentable by this evening or tomorrow, so stay tuned!

matty_5.13.11_ 364 They are hectic, exciting, sexy, exhausting, exhilarating, and chaotic all at once. I'm talking about fashion shows. Sure, sitting out by the catwalk waiting for the show to start, everything seems normal, maybe even down-right boring, peeking to see when the models will start to strut their stuff. Well, the pre-show catwalk is the ying to the backstage's yang. Ironically, the backstage is where I wanted to be to capture the Fashion Night Out event that London Couture was hosting. It was the busyness, the prep, the inside look into what goes into a fashion show, but at the same time, snag some seemingly calm images of the models before they hit the runway. I spoke with the owner of London Couture, Tina London, a couple days before the event, and was able to snag the backstage access. I knew there was going to be a herd of photographers there to click away on the catwalk, but if you know me, you know I'm always out to get the shots and the look no one else is getting or thinking of.

matty_5.6.11_ 415 Over the years I've been to a lot of beaches, some warm, some cold. I've wiggled my toes in the sands of Mexico and Hawaii, but none of them will ever earn the title of 'The Beach.' That sole title goes to Long Beach, WA. It IS The Beach. It doesn't just describe the actual physical vastness of where the sand meets the water, but the pace and style of life in the town. On the nicer days, this means that we are going non-stop, playing frisbee, hiking, running around on the beach, playing games in the lawn, biking around the simple streets, and late night fires in the backyard. On the yucky days, it means lots of board games in the family room, a crackling fire keeping us warm, hitting up the small theater, and getting dragged to the all the little shops with the girls. Good or bad weather, the beach is the beach, rain or shine, we are having a blast. The town is very much a tourist-based economy, the place is a ghost town in the colder months, and packed in the warmer ones. Walking around during the off-seasons, entering restaurants and stores, you quickly realize a very consistent theme, you are the only one in them. It makes you wonder how they manage to keep the businesses open, but then it makes you realize just how busy they are in the warmer times of the year. Because of the crummy weather we are still experiencing, the town was still very much dead. This meant that we practically had the town to ourselves this last weekend.

matty_5.3.11_ 015 Mother's Day, it's just around the corner, and what better way to tell your mother you love her than surprising her with a photo she can enjoy for years to come. I ventured down to the Rochester elementary school and photographed three 3rd grade classrooms. Kids are funny, flat-out. It was kind of a harmonious occasion, as I was once on a path to becoming a teacher. As far as college credit goes, I'm about three quarters of classes short of my education degree. I even went through some student teaching experience. I was interested in teaching elementary school, third grade to be more specific. I found that age to be the most fun. You can still have a lot of fun with that age group, they are smart enough to have interesting conversations, maintain wild imaginations, but have not yet hit that "too cool" stage. The questions and topics that pop up with these kids are hilarious. It's the sweet spot if you ask me.

matty_4.18.11_ 129 Video cameras are rolling at almost every shoot now. If I see a free hand while we are on set working, I toss that hand a camera. I can never really have enough BTS material. The only downside is the more BTS I have the more time I gotta spend sifting through all of it, compounded with all the time I invested into the actual photographic process and the photos for the client. Love all the material, hate the fact that I can't clone myself at put him strictly on BTS shooting and editing, that would be amazing. So, unfortunately a lot of the BTS material never sees the light of day, which gets tossed into the Matty archives. Every few months I'll go the extra mile and compile a video from a favorite shoot and toss it on the site. Well, today is one of those days. I stayed up late last night cutting together this short, two-minute video. I was lucky enough to have fellow creatives Andy and Jolaina at the recent commercial shoot I did with one of my regular clients, Whatcom Sound. The pair, both armed with cameras, got some fun footage that I couldn't toss into the archives without getting a little attention first. This video will give you a good idea of everything we had going on. A lot of the set and lighting was up and ready to go before the cameras were out to capture anything, but you still get to see the bulk of activities during the shoot.