Winter is here... Wish I was there...

As the winter days get shorter and shorter, I find myself working on a new portfolio of images from my various hospitality projects. And, I really want to be there now.

So, the new portfolio is tentatively titled, "Being Here..."

More as it happens.

Create Magazine's 2007 Photographer Showcase

If you are surfing the net, looking at commercial photographers, be sure to check out Create Magazine's 2007 Photographer Showcase.

In the print edition, I am on page 90 & 91. In the online version, downloadable from their web site here, check out page 8 and 9.

Yeah, you can look at the other pages, too.

What is cheap photography?

This is from another client conversation. We were talking about stock photography versus assignment photography.

One of his in-house designers kept wanting to use images from a royalty free disk. The boss kept adamantly saying no.

Here was his reasoning, as he said it to me.

1. The people always look like models, not our customers, or even an idealized version of our customers.

2. The concept always has to be warped to fit the royalty free image the designer found, which means compromises.

3. Our product is never in the shot. Or if there is something similar, it is still not OUR product. Or, we have to spend time and money retouching.

4. The selection is so big that you end up spending a day looking for the image, a day re-concepting and a day trying to make it all fit together. Again, with compromises.

5. If the designer happens to find an image that fits our marketing goal, it also certainly fits our competition's goal. And, the marketing plan of everyone else who bought the disk. Which means that the image is not unique to us and our customers.

6. If the customer sees that image on our competition's site after ours, who is he going to associate the image with? Not us!

7. Our brand, our marketing, and our company is worth more than a $10 investment. And, we will get a better return, more sales, with a good, custom image.

8. If that $10 image loses us just one potential customer, it has cost us a heck of a lot more than $10 dollars!

The ASMP have a great article about Royalty Free photography available to the public here.

Holidays, Charity, Thanks, Etc

This year, in honor of my good friend, Alec Boudreau, my client gift was a donation to the American Society for Suicide Prevention (www.asfp.org)

Alec, it has taken me a long time to get to the point where I am not as angry any more. You are missed.

As my son reminded me a few nights ago: "Remember to be thankful for what we have."

House Style?

Branding is always an interesting exercise and something that every company should take a look at. Because, no matter what, you are a brand to your customers/audience.

The really interesting part is when you discover that what you think your brand stands for is not what they think your brand stands for.

For example, an excellent graphic designer and branding expert, Christine Conrad Lane, commented that one of my selling features was "No specific house style."

That freaked me for a moment. And, then she continued with "That is important to me." She needs someone who is flexible and skilled enough that they can tell the story that meet her clients' goals.. with whatever tools, props, looks or style that is appropriate.

She finished her branding statement of my photography with "Matt McKee Photography captures reflections of the reality you desire."

Which, come to think of it, is how I see my photography as well!

The image above was originally created for the Spring House on Block Island, art directed by the Hue Brand Group. The original file, as shot, was a nice porch image. But, to get the "reflection of reality that [a potential hotel guest would] desire," I needed to take it further.

Hope you enjoy it!

People or Product?

Oh, the tough questions!

"I see you do people and products... and locations. So, what do you really like to do?"

This question supposes that I am approaching photography strictly from a subject stand point. That is, I am specializing in studio work or location work or whatever.

Actually, I approach it from a story telling stand point.

For example, the product photography that you may have seen on this blog and on my site is quite a bit different than what you might see in a catalog or Sunday newspaper. Those images, which require as much skill and finesse, are about commodities. The objects are there to be sold based on the description or at face value.

The images I create go one step further. They include a story about what the object is or does. More specifically, what problem does it solve for the potential buyer.

This goes around the buyer's question of which product is cheaper and goes to "I have this problem that is driving me crazy and this will fix it!"

So, what does this have to do with the gentleman in the image above?

His job is to install cabling for commercial network applications. He needed to look appealing to his target market, which were C level people. He needed to look like he knew what he was doing, was tough enough to get the job done and was a highly trained, highly paid professional who would make these C level people feel and look good.

I was told that the image was submitted with a press release to a major magazine for a business profile. It got picked up. The magazine's normal profile has a headshot that is reproduced about the size of a postage stamp, with a short paragraph to go with it. This image got them a half page space with two columns of editorial copy.

An effective marketing tool? You bet!

A Good Marketing Quote and Hair

I was sitting in a client's office the other day, talking about an upcoming project for a concept based still life. The conversation rolled around to the effectiveness of cutting back on marketing to save a buck.

He pulled out a piece of paper with one of the most apropos quotes I have seen in a long time.

"He who stops advertising to try and save money could just as easily stop his watch to try and save time."

Neither of us know who said it. He got it from one of his clients. If you know who to credit for it, let me know!

The poster above is another in the series I have been creating for the Footlight Club, America's Oldest Community Theater.

As always, a lot of fun and creativity went into the preplanning for the shoot. In retrospect, the shoot itself was kind of quiet, as Jason, the stylist on set and our model, wrestled with the wigs to get strategic coverage.

Speaking of good marketing quotes, I found a very interesting article on the Freelanceswitch.com site that talked about marketing and publicity design. It was specifically about designing for publicity, but, like most marketing, the principles can apply anywhere!

Where to Photograph 11 People?

"Oh, the group portrait? We needed to add a few people. We have 11 now."

Frustrating? Actually, exhilarating!

How do you create a group portrait for marketing purposes, anyway?

For me and my team, unless there is an extremely compelling reason, we try to stay off the plain, vanilla hung background and find something interesting in the environment. Something that will talk about the team we are photographing.

In this case, the end client ran a restaurant style dining hall. It was a well designed and lit space, with interesting colors and graphic elements. It also allowed us to build layers into the composition.

We balance the daylight, ambient and added a couple of strobes to punch up the dark areas and then started adding the people in one by one. All in all, it was about a two hour set up to complete.

Was it worth the time it took? The best answer I can think of to that is to think like a magazine editor. If you were laying out an article about these folks and wanted to get the readers' attention, what would you put on the cover: a couple of plain headshots or an image with rich colors that tells the story? What would you want to see if you were reading the story?

Looking for Bug Props

I am on a search for bugs to be used as scale for product photography.

I have done some looking around and found lots of ready made framed and mounted pieces that are beautiful but the bugs don't come out easily. And they are often in the wrong position.

I know, I could take the time to learn to pose them myself, but, like everything I do with photography, I prefer to surround myself with people who are great at what they do. It means that the final result is so much better.

This specimen above has been used in a number of shoots but is starting to get pretty ragged. He doesn't have any legs left and there is only a half an antenna left. Poor guy needs to be retired.

If you have access to someone who can pose a butterfly, bumble bee, dragonfly or lady bug, get in touch with me.

Thanks!

Happy Halloween Everyone!

I had to get a few more in before Halloween hits.

This series has been complete for a while now. Or, atleast as complete as I can make it until my kids are old enough to not want to go trick or treating or want to go with me to NYC.

But, I still love Halloween and want to do something photographic for it. Now the question is, what should I do next?

Blondie in the Village

Can't believe I am running out things to say about this event. Well, not so much running out as having other things going on.

Between clients, the Jamaica Plain Arts Council, which I am a co-president and web dude, and now Jury Duty, it is hard to keep on track on the blog.

So here is just a couple more cool pics from that series.

A Night in the Village Remembering

This image was created on Halloween 2001. We followed this couple for about 7 blocks.

There was plenty of cheering and not a few tears from passers by and fellow costumed characters.

Night in the Village

The RED SOX WON!

Yay, Sox!

Halloween In Greenwich Village

People are amazing. As a photographer who is called upon to create portraits for marketing and the occasional editorial project, I often come across subjects who are reluctant and hesitant.

And, that's okay. That is part of the challenge. To help them understand that their 15 minutes is here and that they can trust me to create an image that they will be proud to be associated with.

In stark contrast, everyone at these events in the Village have almost no reluctance. Only two people, out of the thousands we saw over 5 years, were not into strutting in front of the camera.

It is like their inner child has come to play and wants, or even craves, our attention.

I always wonder how many of these people were CEOs and engineers in their "day" persona.

A Night in the Village Lives...

After the first year, I was hooked. As a social anthropologist (voyeur), it was a fascinating experience.

As a photographer (voyeur), I was stuck with the problem of what to do with all of these images. In those days, print on demand was still in its infancy. The idea of putting together a book was beyond my meager skills.

A Night in the Village, The Story Continues 5

For a suburban kid who moved to Boston, because he wanted to be in a big city (Boston is more like a big town to me), this place was nuts.

Over the top and totally out there.

For a photographer, a person who is basically a voyeur anyway, it was heaven.

Outrageous behavior and outfits, visual puns and Clinton masks were the flavor of the night.

A Night in the Village, The Story Continues 4

So, totally in the moment, Greg and I started a dance. He watched me and where I was aiming and moved to position himself behind and to one side of my intended subject.

I would approach a person, a character, and make suitable noises. 99% of the time, the people would pose or laugh and say "sure". A couple of times, I got a suspicious look or a head shake. But, almost everyone was out with their best work, ready, willing and wanting to be seen.

And, I was happy to oblige.

That year, we shot 10 rolls of black and white film.

Editing was exciting.

A Night in the Village, The Story Continues 3

We skipped a year due to a scheduling issue but were right back at it, better prepared and totally jazzed.

Armed this time with my new Nikon F5 and a wide angle lens, we hit the streets, looking for adventure and new images.

This time we had a better idea of what we were looking for. But, I still had a nagging problem. I had no idea what I was creating this body of work for. In a way, it was a handicap, mentally.

In another way, it was supremely liberating.

As I have said before, I love the challenge of getting into a client's head to see what exactly they are looking for... even when they can't describe it fully themselves. That, to me, is fun and has been lucrative for me, so I guess I have been successful at it.

This time, there was no limits, just create what I felt at the moment.

A Night in the Village, The Story Continues 2

In the days of film, the moment of truth was opening that envelop from the lab and shaking out the contact sheets.

Sometimes, you are reaching for the loupe. Sometimes, you are reaching for the malox.

Of course, as a professional, we endeavor to have more loupe moments than panic moments. That is one reason why we always shot so much film on each shoot. Our mantra of "Just one more roll" was for the sanity of ourselves and our clients, who would rather we didn't say "The film was ruined at the lab."

[A little known trade secret is that some photographers used that excuse even if they, themselves, caused the film to be toasted. Not that I ever used that excuse. But, in 14 years of shooting film, the lab did munch 2 rolls. Really! They did! But, they were very nice about it and, luckily, I had backup rolls. Besides, 14 years, thousands of rolls and only 2 ever got et? Not bad!]

The first sheet came out and, as dramatic as I would like to make this, I can't. The film was a little thin, but otherwise perfect.

I was hooked and would be for the next 6 years.

A Night in the Village, The Story Continues

That first year was one of those personal challenges that was more mental that physical.

However, it also took its toll on our bodies.We walked over all over those 12 blocks, carrying a bag of film, spare batteries, and a charger for the second flash. Occasionally, we had to stop for a breather and a refresher.

By the end of the night, we had exposed 12 rolls of 120 film and imbibed a fair number of beers.

By two am, we were wiped out and ready to recover the vehical.

But, this wasn't the end of our adventures...

A Night in the Village, the Production Part 3

Now, I am standing on a street corner, with a rental camera around my neck.

Greg is waiting, with various degrees of patience, for my direction.

And, out of the gloom and flash of taxi lights, Golden Boy comes walking toward me.

"Dude, great costume! Can I snap your picture?"

And, so it began..

Stay tuned!

A Night in the Village, the Production Part 2

So, I panicked.

Just so you understand my problem, up until this point, I had been strictly an assignment photographer. In other words, you give me an assignment and we will set up the production. Location scouting, casting, makeup, stylists, assistants, equipment rentals and research all go into the mix.

Lots of prep, pre planning, thinking, consulting, so that we can create the perfect image for our clients.

That evening, I was staring at a completely spontaneous shoot. I didn't know anyone. And, no one knew me. And, we didn't have a location. Or, rather, we had 12 blocks of locations.

Plus, mixed light sources, moving subjects, moving vehicles, cops, a few roving gangs, partyers, players and, of course, a bunch of people dressed in every way you can imagine.

Chaos!

To be continued...

A Night in the Village, the Production Part 1

The first Halloween, I went down to my buddy Greg's place, in NJ. We met up there and packed up a rental autofocus medium format camera. This was a few years before I made the digital switch.

I threw a flash on top and Greg ran around with a second flash radio slaved to my camera for an accent light. It was my standard lighting setup of the time, only made mobil.

We hopped in his rag top Jeep and made the 5 mile run to the Big Apple in just under 45 minutes. We parked, got out and walked to a street corner and Greg turned around and looked at me.

"Well? Now, what do we do?"

To be continued...

A Night in the Village, the Beginning, cont

A case of Labatts, some great movies, long conversations and laments about creation.


Sitting on the porch steps, watching the local skunk make his rounds, the photographer's friend, who lived in New Jersey, said, "Have you ever seen the Halloween Parade through Greenwich Village?"

"Why, no,"" said the photographer innocently. "What is that?"


In a nut shell, the parade carries on a 30 plus year tradition of celebrating the unique culture of Greenwich Village, in New York City. Which means that it is artistic and grassroots based. And, a half a million people show up to see it and party.


It is also where people go to get their freak on and they are accepted for the individuals they are. Drag queens get to strut their stuff next to kids dressed as Sponge Bob. And, it all works together.

It is the perfect place for a voyeuristic photographer, who has a hard time approaching people on the street to take a picture.

Heck, these people want to be photographed!

A Night in the Village, the Beginning

Once upon a time, a photographer was told that he should always have a personal project going. This would help him to stay fresh and creative.

He heard the advice but didn't know what to do. There are so many ideas in the volumes of sketch books. Any one of which could make for an interesting (at least to him) series of images. But, most required a lot of preproduction and cash to put together. It also meant a lot of work. That, along with satisfying the current client roster, meant that the personal project languished in the pre- pre- pre- production stage: "Wouldn't it be neat if..."

One fateful night, over a few liquid libations, his friend, who lived in New Jersey, said, "Have you ever seen the Halloween Parade through Greenwich Village?"

to be continued tomorrow!

a b October, Happy Birthday to Me!

Fall has always been my favorite time of year. I don't know. Maybe its the weather, maybe it is still the childish glee that I feel as my birthday approaches (which has mitigated a bit as I have gotten older. Now it is more of a bitter sweet glee).

That first day of school. The first splash of color in the leaves. The first time you see the twinkle of crystals in the morning frost.

And, after a hot summer like this one, the first breath of relief where I really get motivated to do things without feeling like passing out from heat exhaustion!.

This image represents another part of my favorite season. Halloween approaches! It is from a series of images that I will talk about more as October proceeds.

JP Open Studios is over... for now!

Welcome to Fall!

JP Open Studios, a two day art event in Jamaica Plain, a suburb of Boston, is over and today we are cleaning up, putting away framed pieces that didn't sell and generally complaining about tired backs and sore feet.

The event went very well. I personally saw over 4000 people from all over the Greater Boston area pass by and through my little tent on Eliot Street. It was a lot of fun and we got to meet a lot of really nice people.

A few clients stopped by to see the new personal works and I met few people interested in talking about upcoming marketing projects.

Another great feeling comes from being on the board of the organization that put on the event. There was an amazing amount of work that goes into putting on a city-wide event with 200+ artists, numerous locations and individual studios, volunteers, and various entertainments. Plus, signage, map booklets, websites and fundraising events.

Luckily, we have an amazing group of people working with us. And, now that this year's event is over, we just need to do a little house keeping and tally up the successes and document the areas that need some shoring up.

If you are interested in getting involved in the arts community, and would like to volunteer some time, donate some skills or materials, we would welcome you with open arms.

Check out the JPOpenStudios.com web site for more information.

The image above was created at Reed State Park, near Wiscassett, Maine.

Autumn in New England

The seasons keep on turning. This image was created on an orchard near Damariscotta, Maine. It was a perfect, fall day for picking apples and going on a photo safari.

So far, it has been used in a series of direct mail pieces and greeting cards as a stock image.

This is another from the Way I See It folder. It will be on display and for sale this weekend at the Jamaica Plain Open Studios.

In the mean time, I am off to create a series of product images today. It will be a nice day to play in the studio!

Way I See It...

A few years ago, I started a folder of images that I had created that didn't really fit with my other portfolios.

They were images that hit me as soon as I clicked the shutter. They appealed to me on an iconic level, rather than on a more literal one.

The images are created during client projects and personal photo safaris. They are those moments when I feel I have reached the very spirit of the photograph. They are the moments when I realize that the only audience I am creating for is myself.

Most of the images I create have a different audience in my mind. To be sure, I am creating images that I think are appealing or attractive. However, I am creating them for a client, or more specifically, a client's projected audience. I love that challenge of figuring out what they might be thinking, how they might be thinking it and anticipating how they would react to the project we are working on.

But the images in this folder, many of which were created on commercial projects, go beyond this audience.

They are my personal collection of the golden moment. And, like any perfectionist, my collection grows only very slowly.

Of course, not all of the images in the folder appeal to everyone. Perception is personal and individual. And, it is everything.

The name of the folder is "Way I See It".

This image was created at Mt Washington's Cog Railroad, in New Hampshire.

Oops! Or, how to justify a new lens.

The shoot brief was simple and dramatic: set up the product and shoot sparks over it for dramatic.

I have commented before about "simple" and photoshoot and how they generally do not exist in the same sentence. But, here is an example where things really got out of hand.

It took a little thought about how to get the sparks to fly in the right direction. Because of the direction of the spinning disk on the tool, we had to rethink the layout of the shot and actually flip it. Otherwise, the sparks shot into the background and were lost to the camera. Ah, reality vs scribbled layouts.

Once we got that part figured and adjusted the shutter to get the maximum sparks, it was just a matter of doing it over and over until the sparks looked just right.

This was one of those attempts where the machine slipped and shot a shower of sparks straight back at the lens... and photographer!

After the shot was done, we carefully cleaned the camera and lens and realized that the UV filter we put on the lens had actually melted. There were pinpoint black marks all over it where the sparks had hit the filter and melted into it.

Thank goodness we had the filter! $50 to replace it vs. $600+ for a new lens!

Gone Fishin'

Yeah, the weather was a bit rough. Our tiny craft was tossed. If not for the courage of the fearless crew, our lunch would have been tossed.

It rained, it snowed, it was June in Canada.

But, the walleye tasted sweet!

One of the interesting challenges, for me, is travel assignments. We go out to a location that we have only seen in pictures that someone else has snapped, with a shot list in hand, cell phone in the other hand and camera around our neck.

This is where the shot list is just the sheet music and we are the musicians and conductors about to create the performance. Follow the plan but be ready for the happy accidents/fate/karma/opportunities that come up.

And, don't tuck your head so far into your rain coat that you miss the beauty around you.

This image was created as we came back from a 20 mile jaunt into the Dozios Resevoir in Canada. It had rained all morning, cleared up for the shore lunch and then threatened the whole way back.

And, yes, it snowed that night!

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

Ugh! August in Boston. 90 degrees and sweat pouring down.

It's a little like the scene we recently created above.

This was part of a poster and marketing project for The Footlight Club, and another opportunity for me to work with the wonderful and passionate people there.

We started out studying the classic posters and dvd covers from the Paul Newman movie and reading over the synopsis of Tenessee William's play. And, then we distilled it down until we answered the questions, what is the ultimate theme and what is the audience going to be looking for?

In the beginning of the process, the layout was very busy and full of people. By the end, when we showed up to shoot, it was just Brick and Maggie, played by Peyton Pugmire and Elissa Jordan. Both put on their characters and played the moment to perfection. Susanna Crampton, the producer, and Artie Leger, the director, were both on hand to approve the final shot.


If you want to see great community theater, check out the play at the Footlight Club.

Where's the fun in that?

Okay, just so you don't think we are too serious about our jobs here.

This image was created during a real people shoot in Rhode Island. The project was for a training program and the client was using their own sales reps as models.

This is always a lot of fun, even when we have some reluctant "models".

One of subjects stated to me at the beginning of the shoot, "I don't know why I agreed to this. I really don't like getting my picture taken."

I nodded and said "Don't worry, we are going to have fun today."

And, we did!

Well, my crew and I worked our buns off, setting up and tearing down lighting, running to the next set, harassing my make up artist, Margina (who is great to work with, by the way!), and generally getting the shot list accomplished without blowing up my friend's house.

The point is that, with some good planning, the challenge is fun!

And, every once in a while, you need to stop and ask your models what they really think of the day!

Sunsets

What is it about sunsets? The photographer side of me says, "Seen it before. Everyone has shot it already. Why bother? Find something new already!"

But, my inner child says "Ooooo, look at the pretty colors! With fish hooks, too!"

The interesting part about this image is that you could imagine a cold evening, or a hot humid one. You can hear the loons making their last calls before night fall or you can hear the sound of black flies, pummeling your bug nets, looking for a way to bleed you out right there on the boat. Or, as my wife says, you can think of a romantic evening some place else where the sky looked just like that before a warm, melty kiss.

Your sky, your message, your story.

Beware of Camera Recoil While Shooting Clouds

Oh, what can I say about this one?

I got on the second smallest plane in my life, to go on a fishing vacation. The sky was brilliant blue and the clouds, once we got above them, were fluffy like cotton. Of course, I almost missed that part when the plane suddenly dropped about 20 ft down and another 20 to the left.

The copilot turned back to the 7 of us (yeah, did I mention it was a small plane?) and grinned, as if to say, "No worries, mate!"

Obviously, there were "no worries", as I am alive to write this. And, in fact, it wasn't that bad a flight. But, just to be safe, I pulled out my camera and watched the clouds beyond the engine until they looked satisfactorily dramatic and squeezed the trigger.

Suddenly, the camera slammed back into my forehead, like the recoil from a rifle when you place your face to close to the scope. The damned turbulance had bounced us again and slammed the camera, with my face following, into the wall of the plane.

I reviewed the image I had captured and promptly deleted it. Who wants a shot of my knee?

Looking back out of the window, I rubbed my sore forehead and resolved to give myself a little more room between window, camera lens and aching head. A few minutes later, the clouds cooperated again, but the turbulance had vanished.

During a quite moment on the vacation, I pulled out my laptop and spent some time tweaking my favorite from that session.

More images from the Canada Trip coming soon!

Posters and Composites

One of my constant inspirations is the art of the movie poster. Where else does the art of compositing come together to express the idea of a two hour span of time? It makes heros and villans larger than life. It conveys the central theme and drama (or comedy or whatever) to an audience through the common visual language. It is a dialog that happens in one composition.

For a while now, I have been exploring this art with a local community theater. (Yes, the same one that I just completed a 31 portrait series of its members. You can still order the book by clicking the link to the right.)

Once again, I was able to team up with Kristin MacDougall, on of the fine producers at the Footlight Club, and we brainstormed a poster design for Vampire Lesbians of Sodom and Sleeping Beauty or Coma, two Charles Busch plays.

Principle photography took place over a few short hours, photographing the available actors, in costume, on a white background. Compositing and final design, however, took around 6 hours to put together the poster and banner to advertise the show.


This makes my sixth poster series for the club and I look forward to our next project together!

Real People - Education Ad

What can you do with "real people"? Well, anything you can with models, of course!

But, both the photographer and the creative who concepts the marketing piece need to keep in mind some limitations. Models and actors are used to being the center of attention and understand that what they are doing is part of a "greater whole".

"Real People" or non-models, often do not understand what we are working to create and may feel uncomfortable on center stage.

This means that the photographer and producers need to be very careful on how to handle and coach the non-model to get the best results. A photographer must be sensitive and empathetic to the person who gets put on the spot.

Of course, this is true for any subject in front of my lens! Models, non-models, C-level people or even products all have needs and desires that play into the dynamics of the production.

This, to me, is what makes this kind of shooting fun!

Real People

I was looking at some older images, reflecting on where my work has taken me and came across this tear sheet from a few years ago.

What caught my eye was that this was another example of "real people" photography for marketing, something I seem to be doing a lot of lately. And, having a lot of fun with it.

Don't get me wrong, models are great and can give you great results because of their experience.

But, sometimes, the honesty of a "real person", someone who actually does the job that we are photographing, can be very refreshing.

Found on the Beach Photography Show

Found on the Beach, my series of images of objects found during beach walks, has a new home for the month of April.

Thomas Durand, the curator at JP Lick's in Jamaica Plain, and the creator of the MonkeySox photographic series, had a cancellation in his schedule and needed an emergency show to put up.

Luckily, my work was still in its frames from the last exhibit in September.

It goes up on Tuesday and will be up for the month.

Stop by and see it!

Matt

Capturing, no wait, Creating the Moment

I have been doing some speaking engagements with local camera clubs, mostly because they asked me to come in and talk about my work. And there was a discussion in one about the difference between capturing the moment and creating it.

I guess you could make an argument that any image that did not have a set up or physical production is a capture. And, any time there is production involved it is a created moment.

Maybe it is vanity on my part, but I believe that I create the moments in my images, whether there is external production or if it is only internalized.

For example, the image above was created during a walk through at a conference center in Ohio. We were moving between sets and stopped for lunch. I saw the wall sconces and grabbed the camera and tripod. Fifteen minutes later, I was sitting down with the art director to a splendid turkey sandwich.

It was an unplanned stop but everything else about the image was thought out. I was even considering how the image would look as a banner or printed piece. I captured several frames from different angles to see how the camera was "seeing" the light. But, I created the moment through my on the spot planning and thinking through the composition and lighting.

Maybe it is all just semantics. And, I mean no offense to the wedding shooters who "capture the moment" all the time. If they are doing it right (and those I know who do it, do do it well), I still think they are "creating the moment".

Moments of Surreal

Sometimes, an image just appears in front of me. It becomes one of those moments that I may use as a visual guide for a later image or a reminder of an image I may have created years ago and still like.

In this particular instance, my family and I took a trip to the New England Aquarium. Just another family adventure. On a lower floor somewhere, one of the tank exhibits was being changed. There were no signs, no notices or anything. Just two sets of legs standing in an empty tank.

Whoever the legs belonged to, they must have been having an indepth conversation. They stood completely still for long enough for me to take several exposures, including this one with my oldest checking out the "behind the scenes" view.

Several people walked by with one of two reactions. They either noticed me with my camera aimed at the empty tank and hurried through or they stopped at the tank and looked at the card over the top of the exhibit, as if trying to find which fish silouette the legs represented.

Ironically, a sketch book of mine from a couple of years back has several similar ideas that I have never produced. Maybe it is time to dust off those ideas and bring them to life!

It's Official!

Found at the Beach has officially been launched at lulu.com.

During the spring of 2006, we took a family vacation to visit some of our relatives whom we haven't seen in a long while. We traveled down to North Carolina and toured back up through Maryland and finally back up to Boston.

Every time we take one of these trips, I am fascinated by my children's reaction to the new input of ideas, scenes and situations. And, I reflect back to my own memories of my parents taking me and my brother on similar excursions.

Every time we take one of these trips (both when I was a child and now), we invariably end up at the shore at some point.

And pockets get filled with sand, shells and other little treasures.

This book was inspired by all of those trips. The work is an exploration of all of the wonderful bits and pieces that I collected.

It is also a journey back to my roots in photography. I started out doing table top sets in my living room and garage, following instructions I found in the old Peterson's Photographic Magazines, when I was a teenager. During my formal education at the Rochester Institute of Technology, I also spent most of my time playing the roll of a small god in a dark room, setting up still lifes and table top sets. It wasn't until my senior year that I realized the lessons I was learning with these images would apply to any other story telling image: light, composition, subject matter.

My boys and I took another trip recently, up to my parents' place on the coast of Maine. For some reason, we decided to do a winter trip to the beach at Reed State Park. And, once again, we came out with cool bits that are inspiring me to continue the series.

In any case, I hope the images tempt you and that you enjoy the book!

Matt

A New Year Begins....

A New Year has begun.

Have you made your resolutions? Have you broke any yet?

As you know, last year was very busy for us. Between the book project for the Footlight Club, another book project called "Found on the Beach" and working with our regular clients, we have barely had time to turn around!

My resolutions for this year are to continue to create image, interesting and distinctive images that help my clients meet their marketing goals.

Won't you help me meet my goals?

Today's image is from the "Reflections at the Footlight" Book project. Yes it is my son. How can I resist when he is so photogenic? Of course, I am not biased at all.... much!

He is so intrigued by the backstage workings at the theater that we needed to figure out how to illustrate it

We found the perfect wall and he discovered the gel holders.

After that, it was just a matter of letting him go and have fun!

The book is nearing its completion. I have enlisted the aid of a good friend of mine, and an excellent designer as well, to the layouts. Erich's work can be seen here.

The book should be ready for preview later this month or early next month. Keep your eyes peeled for a Show Opening displaying the work in Jamaica Plain, MA at the Footlight Club! It should be a blast!