just an update..

So I've been a little absent around here while I've been working out there.  I've got a few new shots that I've been working on that will be updated on here and my website in a little bit.  I'm going on a trip of the south west and I'll surely come back with lots of assets like sky's and clouds and mountains and deserts.  

There's been some more attention and awards for my images recently.  I got 4th place in Photographer's Forum Best of College Photography Contest and was inducted into the Nikon Emerging Photographer's Hall of Fame.  I'm a finalist in Digital Photo Pro's Emerging Pro competition, still waiting to hear back from that one.  Also got an honorable mention in PDN EDU contest.

An another note HOW magazine came to me to do a feature on my work as they are highlighting work from young creatives.  The issue won't come out till July but I'll mention it again when it does.

Until next time, thanks for checking out my work and supporting me.  The comments are always appreciated and I love that there are people out there that like my work enough to follow this blog and stop in and say hi from time to time.  Thanks a bunch, I really appreciate it.

In earnest,

Matt

Sunny On A Rainy Day (Behind the Scenes)

Here's a behind the scenes look at a recent photo shoot.  Thanks to Chris and John for sticking it out in the rain!

The Miracle

Here's a new shot.  It's the story of a man once crippled by an affliction. He's found himself miraculously healed and able to walk again - and in his elated state - starts to dance.  Perhaps it's a glimpse within the desperate imagination of someone still bed ridden, or maybe it's the real deal.  What do you think?

Interview and Feature in DPI Magazine

I was featured in a great Taiwanese magazine called DPI.  It was a lovely spread so I'm going to share it with you guys.  There's even a shot o' my mug!

I've added the interview below, so please enjoy!  

1. When I see these pictures, somehow I associated the scene with circus, but what or who would influence and inspire you in creation most?

This project originated with the idea that I wanted to illustrate strange people on a long and epic journey to find a place to belong. Originally I photographed real people, as they were. The people I chose were unusual and some of them did come from the circus but it wasn’t until I began creating fictitious characters that the project became more about my imagination and less about my observation.
The idea of the circus always symbolized a runaway fantasy – a troupe of gypsies that live a strange and wild life. I understand how people can feel like they don’t fit in and I wanted to show people on a journey as they search for a place to call home.

2. What is the first consideration when you do the composition?

I always start with the biggest, grandest idea and then, if needed, dumb it down to a level at which I can actually produce. Being able to shoot things separately has really opened up a lot of creative opportunity and has altered how I imagine images. It is also very challenging to make sure that the things that are not really together end up looking like they belong. I don’t want any of my images to look fake – the real fantasy is only achieved when you think what you are seeing is real.

3. In most of your works, the people are facing wild nature view alone, any particular meaning of it?

There are many reasons for this but mostly the idea of the wilderness is there to illustrate the journey. I love adventure and often adventure takes place outside the safety of civilization and the adventurers must face the unknown wilds of the wilderness. There are a lot of images of people alone because often times the most important journeys must be taken alone.

4. What is your design process? (I call it “design” because what you do is not only taking photos, but creating scene of stories.) Do you ever reflect real story happened around you to photos? If so, can you share the most impressed one to us?

I usually make a rough sketch of the layout and then identify what elements are needed. I need to figure out what can be shot at the scene and what needs to be shot later. Sometimes the photographs are one shoot, with little Photoshop, and sometimes the photographs are completely fabricated using dozens of different shots.
Most of the ideas of these images come from wanting to illustrate some sort of symbolism. All of the images illustrate concepts and ideas, for example The Pack Rat illustrates the struggle of the journey while carrying a heavy load. The load can be memories, regrets, or even material possessions – it can all way you down.

5. Besides photography, what are your interests else? Are they involved and plus to your work?

Besides photography I am also a musician in a band that is lucky enough to travel the country. This helps me because I get to see a lot of different places on tour and I always bring my camera. I am currently working on an image that is a stormy seascape where I’ll be using the clouds and sky from a thunder storm that I shot while in New Mexico.

6. So far which is your favorite personal work? Why?

I don’t have a favorite because I always know that I will improve and usually I can find faults in my work. I am always trying to make sure that I keep pushing myself for better work so I don’t want to ever be too satisfied with myself.
If I did have favorites the two that stand out to me are The Librarian, because the person in the shot is a great friend of mine and it illustrates him perfectly, and The Birder because it is a very old shot and I am not sick of it yet.

7. What is your dream?

I’m not sure. I have a lot of dreams I think. I want to keep elevating my photography until it reaches a point where I am competing with the best photographers in the world. I want to work enough so I can retire at a young age and help support my parents and family. I want to direct commercials and movies. Go on a safari. Create a charity. Make a children’s book. Own a castle on an island. Have a farm with a lot of dogs. Be in school forever and earn a degree in everything. Make some sort of lasting difference that has a positive effect on people. Lots of stuff! I’d like to be a respected, well liked and decent human being that people are happy to know.

More Asian Love

Here's a link to something awesome.  More hilarious translations, scroll to the bottom.  My personal favorite is "In fable sofa very good picture ha ha"

On the cover of CMYK

Check out the current issue (42) of CMYK.  My shot's on the cover!

The Shipwreck

I'm putting some of the finishing touches on The Shipwreck, a new shot for my portfolio.  I was lucky to have Mark Holthusen in the studio with me to give me some pointers.  Mark works a lot in the studio and he points out how nice it is to have the time and control to do what you need to do.  When you have that much control over all the stages of the photograph you can really take your time and be proud of what you create.

Most of the work I do is shot on location, and in my internship with Mark we've been discussing the process of composite shooting within the studio.  When I had my internship with Erik Almas we discussed the pros and cons of studio-for-composite shooting and it seemed like something that I wanted to steer clear from for a while, but now that I've sort of learned where and when it's a good thing it's become something that I'm pretty excited about.  Basically the cons are feet.  When you shoot in the studio the feet never really match the ground.  

Ways to avoid this?  1) Use the studio for shots where you don't see the feet. 2) Bring whatever the ground is in the shot to the studio (grass, sand, etc). 3) Be really good at retouching and have the feet be a small element in the frame and hope it doesn't get on the cover of a magazine.

In my experiences shooting outside I always shot the person on the ground they were going to be composited into.  This way you don't cut out their feet but rather a big space around them.  Then you have all kinds of room to blend and no ones the wiser.

Pros to shooting in studio?  Lots. 

Really the biggest advantage of shooting in the studio is time.  I spend a lot of time and effort trying to get a crew on top of a mountain at sun down.  Think how nice it will be when I can just go off on my own and scout and shoot locations and then go to the studio to shoot the subjects.  Of course it's just another thing to harness, you really have to be careful when doing so much compositing, you don't want that stuff to look fake.  There's nothing quite like shooting everything in camera, but it's nice to know your limits, as well as the limits to what will look acceptable.  An appropriate step in determining when and where to use the different step is knowing how to do it all.  Once you know how to do it any which way, then you can choose the most appropriate method to achieve the means.