Info/News
17 Nov Smokin’ Hot Guitar Hero
We finished the Smokin' Hot Espresso calendar project yesterday with a bang. Came up with this concept after seeing similar ideas. I decided to used 6 girls in undies playing video games. Does it get any better, guys? Didn't think so...
09 Nov The Cold Warehouse
It was a long, cold, yet very productive weekend for the Smokin' Hot Espresso calendar shoot. Got three more months out of the way, with only two more to go. This project is going about as smoothly as could be expected, mostly due to Josh...
28 Oct June in October?
Yes, that's right, June in October. At least when you have an entire calendar year to shoot in three weeks and you are in the end of October, you don't have much of a choice. Large, challenging, and fun hurdles are riddled throughout this project,...
26 Oct Calendar Shoot – Sneak Peek
I've been working with the people from Smokin' Hot Espresso, a bikini barista business, for a little over a week now. They have hired me to shoot a calendar for the 2010 calendar year. We have roughly two weeks to fit all the shoots in and design the calendar. It'll be an interesting time as we try to get this all accomplished in such a short window of time, especially taking in consideration a lot of the shoots will have to be worked around the weather.
We already have three shoots (months) out of the way, as we are pushing to get all the outdoor shoots completed first, cause as we all know, the weather will just be getting worse and worse. Be sure to keep checking back for more posts about the shoots, the pictures, and the hurdles we had to overcome throughout the shoot. A behind the scenes video is also in the making and will be available for viewing on the site as well.
14 Oct Matty Goes Airborne
For all you travelers, especially those Bellinghamers, if you'll be flying Allegiant Airlines in the next couple months... take a peak at that in-flight magazine located in that pouch in front of you. You know, that spot where your knees are already pushing into due to lack of leg room, yeah, that pouch. Inside that you can find an article about the Fairhaven Village Inn, a great hotel located in Bellingham, and of who I shot photos for a couple months back. Shortly after the shooting the hotel I received a call from the editor of Sunseeker Magazine, the in-flight magazine. The hotel put them in contact with me to provide some of the hotel photos for the mag. I picked a couple, sent them their way, and about a month later I received a couple fresh copies of the magazine, the edition with the article in it.
13 Oct New Site Theme
Yes, if you've been to the site before, you are in the right place, and no, you didn't accidentally eat some bad mushrooms. I spent yesterday evening porting my site over to new theme, one that I feel is much more visual. Being a photography...
22 Sep Gift Cards
Purchase a Matty Photography gift card for a friend or family member and give the gift that not only lasts a lifetime, but generations. Gift cards can be bought in any dollar amount, and then applied to your special person's photo shoot. They are the perfect...
21 Sep Seeing Is Believing?
Remember the days when you saw a really awesome photograph that was visually engaging say... 10 years ago? The comment that inevitably seeped from your mouth was something along the lines of "this is so good, it looks fake," yet full well knowing it was most likely the real deal, cause at that point in time digital photography and photoshop artists were just really starting to go mainstream and it was uncommon for a photograph to undergo complete and utter manipulation by the knife of a photochopper. Today it's the exact opposite, if the photo looks awesome it's gotta be fake. Something has been tweaked, thinned, trimmed, cut and pasted, filtered, and/or drawn. Which brings me into the meat of the discussion...
What has photography become? How unrealistic have we become, how have our expectations lost every little scrap of perspective on the real world? As I browse thousands of model and photographer portfolios I'm overwhelmed by the amount of doctored photographs, neither providing true representation of themselves or work. A model with so much post work done to her she looks like a barbie doll (no exaggeration), and photographers claiming work as "photography" after a picture has spent a good few hours getting "tweaked" in photochop (yes, chop). Hell, the only ones being honest are the photochoppers showing their work, cause that is their true work.
17 Sep Matty is Green!
I'm happy to announce that the Matty Photography website and all other internet services are powered 100% by wind energy. The page you are reading right now is being powered by good ol' mother nature, just a blowin' away. And to think, of all those...
27 Aug Shooting in Bellingham – Sept. 26 & 27
Attention all you B-hamers, I'll be up and shooting the weekend of September 26th and 27th. Some stuff is already in the works, so contact me to check for availability. The first week into the Fall season, would be a great time for senior pictures,...
30 Jun New Projects, New Toys
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...
20 Jun On-Location – Showcase Video
It'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,...
31 May Studio Setup Video
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...
26 May Studio is Ready
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...
11 Apr Production Video – Bham Shoot 4.4.09
[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...
03 Jan Triple Shoot in Bellingham
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="355" caption="Image courtesy of Andy L."][/caption] 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...
28 Dec Great Break
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...
15 Dec Branding – Name Tweak
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...
28 Nov At The Ready
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...