The New Year!

Right, so Christmas is right around the corner, but I'm already excited for talk of the new year...and with it new ideas, adventures, friends, and more! I had the pleasure of taking some headshots of a good friend of mine. As he is beginning to venture into the arts in a professional way he needed some that were a little more artistically intriguing. I have to say we found some very cool backdrops for the shots but one of my favorites was the shopping cart in the middle of the hallway...keep it klassy. That is one of my favorite aspects of photography. You never know what you are going to get and some of the silliest ideas may surprise you. But I guess that's how life is. Learning to stay open to new possibilities and to look for the opportunities in unassuming situations has helped both Carmen and I to become more connected with our passions and our Minneapolis community.

Our first year in the city has had its ups and downs, as I think is the case for many people moving to a new location. Being in a new city where you know only a handful of people can do that to you. Its in those times that you really have to look for the opportunities. But the past 6 months or so have really shown us that sometimes all it takes is some patience, perseverance, and a glass of wine (or 2). We have made a community of friends for ourselves that we wouldn't trade for anything (the trick is to keep them all from moving away!). Moreover, Carmen is going back to school to finish her bachelor's degree, and I am beginning to make the transition from photography hobby to photography profession.

23 is kind of my number, and for a long time I've looked forward to when I'd be that age. I always knew it would be an exciting year...I just didn't know in what way (I just hoped "exciting" didn't involve jail). It has started out as a year of growth, both personally and professionally, and I hope that continues on into the new year. But growth can be hard and comes with challenges of its own. So I look forward to the New Year and all that comes with it with the hope and desire that I'm up for the challenge.

Happy Holidays everyone and have a fantastic New Year too.

Heyo! It has been nary a month (maybe almost 2) since I have picked up the camera and gone out for a stroll. Typically this is one of my favorite solo activities, but I've been hitting a block lately. I've been getting tired lately of taking the same old shots and trying to turn something I find vaguely interesting into a cool shot. I know, I know...practice makes perfect...or something along those lines, but I had hit a wall and needed to break through. I went for a walk through the neighborhoods first and ended up (as I usually do) at the lake. I sat for a while and stared at the water. I even took some pictures of the sky/lake, but I have far too many of those to even begin to get excited about them.

So, eventually I got up and began walking home...feeling refreshed but with nothing to show for it. While taking pictures of the sky, I had set my camera for a long exposure time of 3 seconds

(exposure time??? - this is the length of time the shutter stays open). As the sky grew dark, I walked home with my camera in my hand, hanging loosely at my side. I randomly decided to snap the shutter and see what would happen. As luck would have it, some bicyclists with lights were riding by at just that time and I got some cool light burn (Side note!!! - If you set your camera for a long exposure time and point it at the street at night, you will find that the cars disappear, but the lights are bright enough to burn into the image). Obviously, I then decided it would be not only awesome, but ESSENTIAL FOR ALL HUMANITY, that I continue taking shots while waving my camera frantically about dancing in circles like the crazy person that I am. (Side note - bacon...sorry, I'm hungry...you know you want some right now). These images are the results of what was at first an accident. However, through experimentation I was able to choreograph the lights a little bit (though definitely leaving room for surprises!)

Final note - None of these images have been modified in any way shape or form...whether by digital manipulation or haphazard wizardry. Enjoy. (Oh, and for more of them, check out my facebook page!)

Happy Birthday, Nation!

Hey everyone! It seems like people typically begin there blog entries with, "Wow, I haven't posted in forever!". So instead of doing that, I'm just going to say that people often do that. Sweet...fact stated.

I hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July. If you were in Minnesota, however, you would have

needed NO fireworks as the sky was a display enough. I have done nothing to enhance the 2 sunset shots I posted. It was literally a blaze of red, white, and blue (and some orange, but lets keep with the theme...). We had some friends over for dinner, then thought we were going to call it an early night as, up here in the north, fireworks don't start until 10. This is not very conducive to toddler bed times. However, as we discovered around 8:45, TODDLERS are not conducive to toddler bedtimes. So we broke the rules, grabbed Laiden out of his room, and headed out for an unplanned stroll. We ended up hanging out on the beach and were getting ready to head home around 9ish when we began to notice people showing up. Turns out our beach is a PERFECT viewing stage for not 1, but 4 fireworks displays (and no crowds either!). It was an awesome night, and to think we almost spent it at home watching a movie...lame!

I've been doing some thinking lately about what this day means

to me. I heard a radio broadcast a few Fourth of July's ago that really turned me off to the idea of American-ism. It was all about how we were the pride of the world and how everyone pretty much wants to be us or move here...yada yada yada. So I called in and...shared my opinion :) But there it is (no not

there...over THERE!)...America is not about WHAT you believe...it is about HOW you believe it. Our nation was founded upon the belief that all of us are called to be passionate people...to be passionate about our beliefs and what we hold dear, and to strive for those goals that we are most passionate about. And yes...there are many things wrong with this nation, but its our voices...shouting, debating, encouraging, pleading, advising...and our ability to remain open to new ideas (and to be reacquainted with old ones) that makes our country great. It is the day we fall silent, the day that ideas and beliefs cease to be exchanged, that we should fear. It is our voice that gives us power and ignites our passions. Without it we have so little, but with it we can change the world.

Aveda Hair Show

Hey there...how ya doin? Been a while since I've seen ya! Wow have we been busy lately. Carmen was accepted...both academically and financially :) to the University of St. Thomas where she will be finishing her bachelor's degree (most likely in International Business)! I am so proud of her and can't wait for her to unleash her potential. She inspires me constantly to think outside the box and to go for my dreams and I am more than happy to return the favor. Secondly, we just signed a lease on our new apartment in St. Paul! It is less than 2 miles from St. Thomas and has not 1, but 2 three-season rooms Yep, you counted it...6 seasons. The Midwest is the only place on earth you can get that! Now, on to "business"...

A week and a half ago I had the pleasure of photographing a hair show at the Aveda Institute. The theme was centered around Earth Day and focused on the "elements" Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Infinity with all proceeds going to benefit the National Audubon Society. This was my first experience working in this type of setting, but it was a blast! I learned a lot and came away with not only some shots I think are neat, but some valuable experience and a couple contacts to boot. Sorry, but I'm going to cut this short as it is late and my love will be on my case if I am cranky in the morning. Buenos noches and enjoy the pics. (PS - If you want to see more, check out my new album on facebook)

The sun never sets on a badass

Okay, you caught me...not really a badass. In fact I'm probably about as un-suave as they come. (Good thing I got married young!) However, like a badass, I plan on breaking some rules tonight. The trick to breaking rules is that you need to know what the rules are so that you can them smash them into tiny bits with a giant hammer you stole from a construction site and meant to take back, but then forgot so now it sits in your closet..............ahem. So lets discuss! Following are some of the common "rules" of photography that I will discuss. Some are common sense, some aren't really rules, more just suggestions, yada yada yada.

1. The rule of thirds

2. Leading Lines

3. Exposure

4. Tack sharp

5. Creating Depth

...and so many many more.

Things to keep in mind as you read...

1. Along with each section (where available), I have placed an image that contradicts the rule and a reason for its existence.

2. There are many more "rules" than those I have listed. For a listing of these see Google :)

3. Rules suck. They are confining and conformist. Don't think of these as rules, but as guidelines. The idea is to learn the rules, then ignore them as your eye becomes drawn to interesting shots.

4. Notice I reference "natural visual appeal" a lot (indirectly). Most of this stuff is already ingrained in our heads, we just haven't necessarily named it. As per rule #3 and Toucan-Sam, just follow your nose.

The Rule of Thirds: This is probably the most common rule. Say you took a photograph and

placed a line a third (and then 2/3) of the way across the image, so now you have 2 lines. Then you do this both horizontally and vertically. 2 + 2 = ...come on everyone say it with me. (I have heard a pretty convincing argument for 1 + 1 = 3 before, but thats another story entirely) By positioning objects/people along these lines, we can make our photographs more visually appealing as these points are where our eyes are naturally drawn. Don't ask me why its not the middle...I am not God (though it sure would make parking a lot easier). Even better is to position key elements (like eyeballs) at the intersection of these lines. I love this picture because the eye of this horse is so immense and the way his mane parts is SO cool that the power of this image draws not from the eye being at one of the "key" positions, but being smack in the middle where it can see into your soul. Yes...it has that power.

Leading Lines: This involves the use of lines (like railroad tracks, pool cues, cliffs, huge noses) to draw our viewers eyes towards a specific point. Whether something is at the end of that line doesn't really matter, it just adds visual appeal.

Exposure: This refers to how well the subject is exposed (duh)...okay what is exposure. Well, a short answer would be how well we adjust our camera to capture the light available to be able to view our subject properly (very vague, I know). For a more thorough explanation, I highly recommend the book Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. It is pretty much the best out there and pretty inexpensive to boot. The long and the short is that we don't want our pictures to be too dark or too light. Like Goldilocks, we want our soup just right. Okay, so this image was an accident, but one I am glad I made. While the image, is not black and white, due to the under-exposure it walks that line between the world of color and the world of shade giving off an interesting perspective on the twilight hour.

Tack Sharp: This basically means we want our images sharp as a tack at the spots where it will be the most interesting (though I'm pretty sure the origin of the wording has nothing to do with that). The most common example of this would be someone's eyes. Generally speaking, we would want these to be the sharpest part of the image. (The eyes are the window to the soul!...well...so is the mouth, but only if you are a good cook). I love this picture of the sunset reflecting off of a lake for its abstract appeal. I like it not because it is a sunset, but because, had I not taken it, I would have no idea what it was, and would therefore be forced to asses it solely based on composition (on which this image relies). That is another good point: often when we break one rule, it is so that we can better achieve a visual experience best portrayed by another guideline. For example, this image relies heavily on the rule of thirds.

Creating Depth: Flat images tend to make us feel trapped and confined. A way to open these up and give our viewers some breathing room is by placing something in the foreground and something in the background of our photograph. For example I could take a picture of a flower with a mountain in the background. I love this photograph because of its directness. There is no searching around for what this could be a photograph of or which portion of the image should be the primary focus. It is flat, but direct and to the point.

First Photo Shoot

I had my first photo shoot this morning (other than impromptu's with Laiden) and it went superbly (I thought!). I'd like to give a ginormous thanks to my friends for getting up at the butt-crack of dawn (not to mention actually letting me take their picture!)....hopefully these images are just repayment. I had a blast photographing you guys, and your shots turned out awesome! For the full album check out my facebook page.

Okay, on to other news. Carmen is out of town this weekend at a cosmetology/fashion convention in Chicago, so Laiden and I are batch'in it up...though, currently, he is asleep. He's not very much fun to party with...poops out pretty early. He has been growing up so quickly that neither Carmen or I can hardly keep up. Every day more time slips by, and he gets that much older. Laiden has become quite the rambunctious (wow...spelled that right on the first try!), curious, fitfully-happy little kid, and I am quite proud of him (when he's not screaming, "Mine! Mine!") Unfortunately, we found out this week that his best friend will be moving (along with his parents) to Washington D.C. This family is one that we met shortly after moving to Minneapolis and have begun to grow close to. We will miss them dearly.

But, alas, stop crying. I know, I know, all (1) of my readers are bawling their eyes out right now. But cheer up, spring is here! With the temp expected to brush into the 70's this week, the fever has (or nearly has) broken, and I am pumped. In fact...I think I'd go so far as to say I am SUPER pumped, but that may be pushing it. After all, I can't even put on my bikini yet. I'll sign off with a salutation from my high school health teacher. "Class, keep your pants up, your tops down, and have a great weekend (or week)!"

Family, Pamly, Pumpkin Pie!

Howdy Folks! (Capitalized because that is indeed your name) Welcome, once again, to my strange world. Just to get this out there...I have no idea what "Pamly" is supposed to mean, but I've had a glass (a large glass) of wine and it sounded good-ish. I found these pictures while digging around in Lightroom. I made these this fall with our Pumpkin-Dog (who died shortly thereafter) using a technique called light painting. The idea is that you take an extended exposure (20-30 sec), and you mess with the photo in the meantime. At first I was content to use only a flashlight, but later worked my way up to flames for a much more demonic jack-o-lantern. Who ever said the Great Pumpkin was good??

Life has been treating us well to be sure, though with so many variables in the air, we sometimes wonder if we're sure we know what we are signed up for. But thats how life is sometimes and we wouldn't have it any other way. You only get one shot at it so you might as well jump in with both feet and get dirty! Carmen is finishing up school at Aveda in May and is currently weighing her options for post-graduation. Currently, however, she is at school where some friends are dying/cutting her hair for a fashion show. Yep, I'm married to a model and damn proud of it! I am truly lucky to be married to her. (I know this because told me)

She has signed me up to be one of several photographers taking pictures before the show she will be in. Pretty much just running around backstage photographing people getting ready

(well...makeup, hair, etc). I am also beginning to book a few free sessions here and there to get my feet wet. So if anyone is interested, please let me know and we'll see if we can work

something out (Illinoisans included).

Well, Folks. That's probably about as much rambling as anyone can be expected to put up with. Signing off with a picture of the dude walkin on water. Rock on...

Honing your perspective

Well, its tax return season and many of us are trying to decide what to spend our returns on. Pay off bills, buy a new grill or some camera gear, heck maybe even a tv...depends on how good Uncle Sam was to you this year. While I'm sad to say that Uncle Sam's paycheck did not bring with it any new camera gear, it did bring me my first month's subscription to Lynda.com. For anyone interested in learning new software (aka Photoshop, Lightroom, Flash, etc) it is absolutely incredible. The site has instructional videos on just about any piece of software you can imagine from Vista (God knows why you would want to learn how to use that!) to iWork to the aforementioned Lightroom. Each "course" is led by a single instructor.

The Lightroom tutorial I am currently taking is led by a photographer named Chris Orwig (I highly recommend checking out his work at www.chrisorwig.com). Every once in a while he breaks away from the lesson to offer a creative tip. The one that has stuck with me the most has to do with reducing the noise in our photography. Now, what he meant by this was shooting for quality, not quantity. With the advent of the digital camera, it can be so easy for us to start firing away without too much of a thought for the photography we are trying to capture until we go to upload the photos to our computer.

With this in mind, I set out prior to the first 7:30 sunset of the year to take exactly 3 pictures. I know, I know...there's 4 pictures posted. The truth is, I'm a horrible person and I took 5 pictures. So sue me, I did pretty good at restraining myself. It was amazing how difficult this actually was for me to do! I felt this flutter in my chest every time I went to snap the shutter, as if each click was draining my possibilities for churning out a successful photo. I'm pretty pleased with the end result though and I found that the whole process had me thinking spring cleaning thoughts about reducing the noise in our lives. Now is when I'm supposed to go off on a rant about how we have too much technology in our lives...but hey, I'm on a laptop and I listen to an iPod about 6 hours a day. I think the key those is to find some time and some way to clear our heads and really hash out what we are looking for, even if it means missing a few shots along the way, because, hey, those weren't the ones we wanted anyway.

Signs of Spring (In which Matt refutes all requests and names his own damn blog)

Whoa...2 posts IN ONE DAY!???? Please say I'm dreaming. You aren't...this is real.

Alright everyone, the votes are in...okay, just my vote is in, but thats all that really matters. The winner is..Life Through the Lens. You love it? Thank you SO MUCH! Feel free to stop by where I will be offering free advice on nothing that pertains to anyone. Or you can just come and hang out, but please please please...this is very important. Bring chips. Seriously, I'm starving.

So, being that I am at home this week, I decided to venture out into the Great Beyond (namely the outdoors...namely my neighborhood) in search of Spring-like, colorful images. This request was put forth by the artist formerly known as Carmen de Couto (or as of 150 years ago DeCouto). Many of you know her by her stage name, Crouching Flamingo. Being that the floods have arrived, it was a very grey (gray?) and not so springy day outside. Yet the challenge was before me. It had to be answered.

Several events took place that I have been too shy to try. The first was I approached an elderly man walking down the street to ask him if I might have the pleasure of photographing him. Of this, he understood nothing. Turns out he didn't speak english (or so he said...I think). I tried to convey the message by other means, but without any luck, so reluctantly I stepped away from the REALLY COOL looking elderly man and stopped cornering him against a fence (not really).

The second thing I have never done was to knock on some random persons door to ask them if I could photograph a statue (sorta) of a flower in their back yard. They weren't home, so I just took some shots through their fence (not posted bc I haven't finished editing the shot I had to take from 16 miles away).

Well everyone, hope you enjoyed my ramblings, but I need to get back to work. Lunch break is over.

***Note from the author: This post and the previous were both written under the effects of enormous amounts (for me) of caffeine. Don't do drugs.

My Office (In which Matt takes requests for a NEW BLOG NAME!?)

Wow, what a great week. Work is pretending that everyone has the ebola virus this week and making all (read "some") of us work from home. That said, this week has been a dream come true. Please note the picture of my new office (Why yes, that IS a one-of-a-kind Thomas the Tank Engine blanket, thank you for asking). Kind of thinking about licking raw chicken every Sunday if it gets me this!

Now, on to more important matters. This blog seems to be morphing into something other than its original intent. Though I still plan to provide regular to irregular updates on the family and its most detailed inner-workings, the blog has begun to take on more of a "photographique" (use THAT word next time you're out. That will get some heads turning...guaranteed) tone. In addition, my lovely, multi-talented wife is opening up her own shop on all things fashion, cosmetology, etc. (More on that to come later.) With that in mind, I have decided to open up the phone lines for BLOG NAME REQUESTS!!! That's right, whatever you want to name this blog, so it shall be (All requests subject to denial and/or flat-out rejection) If you want me to call it "Floob-bubber-banderson" or "This blog sucks why would I EVER recommend a name!?" I will do it (maybe) Ready..Set..GO!

Inspiration & Revelations

Lately, I have been trying to inspire myself. I have found myself slipp
ing into that nasty habit we all can fall into at times: dreaming without acting. I have been doing a lot of research on photography, but guess what I haven't been doing much of...you guessed it. So, I've vowed to take my camera EVERYWHERE. Now your probably thinking, "Matt, you can't take it EVERYWHERE." To that I say, you're right. There are some parts of my day that nobody would ever want to photograph...especially not me. To quote The Princess Bride, "Let me explain, no no there is too much, let me sum up." I am rearranging my priorities in life (after spouse and child, of course). Getting out to practice the art and inspire my creative spirit needs to take precedent before many of the things I've spent my time doing (mainly dishes). Thus ends Revelation #1.

Revelation #2: You can practice the art of photographing people, WITHOUT A CAMERA! Here's the deal. This gig is probably 30% technical and 70% connecting with your subject. (Don't hold me to those percentages, I'm not a statistician.) I wrote a note on my hand today to help...us lowly computer drones need that sometimes. It said simply, "Make people smile." As photographers, I have come to realize that THIS is our job. Not simply snapping the shutter. We need to observe, connect with, and draw out the personality and characteristics of the people whom we are photographing. I tried this today, and not only did I get several more smiles than usual, my day was astonishingly better and I left work in a good mood, despite a ho-hum day.

I realize this is probably not a a particularly revealing revelation to you, but hey I'm a little slow. Not to mention it is very easy for us to know something, yet fall into our same comfortable trends. I encourage you to break the cycle and generate some smiles!

And yes...I know none of these pictures have anything to do with smiles. These are just some shots I took tonight and was pleased with. (Hey I can do that, its my blog!)

Update from the Arctic

Well, seems the posts are few and far between. Sadly, as of a few weeks ago, my college laptop went bust. The computer itself works fine still, but the screen went out and its not much good without it! Our recent purchase, then, was a MacBook, which I am thoroughly enjoying. While the adjustment from Windows still leaves me searching the web for how tiny tricks work here and there, the adjustment has been incredible. Can't tell you why I didn't switch earlier...oh yeah, already had a laptop. I digress..

I've been messing with photoshop and lightroom quite a bi

t more lately. I'm looking at getting a membership to Lynda.com. Did a few of their demos and man, the courses seem amazing. I was home with Laiden on Saturday and snapped some shots of him playing (and me tickling him) on our bed. Here is some of my super novice work with photoshop and lightroom...

The colors are much richer than the original and his face is substantially SANS-boogered. What more can you ask for, all in about 5 minutes.

10'4 Good buddies, its bed time...

Matt

Today I received an email from our President urging me (and many others) to write a letter to a number of newspapers on the subject of health care reform. I would encourage all of you to do the same. I have posted my letter below, feel free to check it out.

I write to you as someone who possesses many of the same qualities as your readers: hard-working, independent, and yearning for my piece of the American dream. At least this is what I strive to be, and I know many others who live by similar values. Unfortunately, many of us will never realize our dream of independence and entrepreneurship as the costs of health care continue to skyrocket. The spirit of entrepreneurship is what built this nation, and I urge it to cry out for change. For as the costs continue to rise, the spirit of those who would venture out on their own shrinks ever more quickly. I have held my tongue on this issue for far too long. It is time for those of us who voted to put our president in office to speak up! Let us stand behind the man who has gotten the ball rolling on something that for many was about as real as a unicorn: Health Care Reform. That bears repeating...Health Care Reform! The ball is perched on top of the hill. All we need to do is speak up and let it give it a nudge. Do not let the voices of dissent discourage us from our path or make us question our goals. Especially when they have had their say and input into the way we get there. Please, I beg you all, be silent no more.