10 Questions with Matt Anderson
MATT ANDERSON
Featured Artist
About MAtt:
Matt Anderson is a commercial photographer specializing in spaces, faces and places. His insatiable curiosity and attention to detail create bold, purposeful, elegant images. Matt listens to the space, seeks out his position, and adds all components into the frame with clear intention. Color, composition, and lighting are all incorporated as a direct response to what the client intends to say. He is a true maker and is always striving to create.
What would you describe your style/niche as? How did you find it?
My work tends to be bold, colorful, dynamic and purposeful. Whether the subject is a 40-story building or a 4 year old kid, I’m usually depicting an element of intensity that I’ve found fascinating. Dynamic leading lines, an intense gaze, dramatic light; I’m drawn towards the extraordinary within the ordinary.
The path to my style has been quite convoluted and serpentine, as I imagine it is for many people.
I studied Civil Engineering in college because I was told I was “...good at math and science.” It seemed like a natural progression and would pave the way towards lucrative career options, plus I didn’t have any better ideas, so I did the sensible thing. Eight years after graduation, floundering in my work and daily motivation, I began to search for a creative outlet. I started taking photography classes in the evenings to let go of stress. Something about the creative act of composing a frame and later watching it materialize in two dimensions in the darkroom was exactly what I needed. I was making something from nothing, and that creative act gave me great joy.
Construction sites and architecture were my playground, and I quickly learned to love the magic of focal length and what it can do to perception. Wide angles made the world surreal, and could intensely alter the ordinary and mundane. They shifted everything spatially in ways I wasn’t used to. Later, I’d have the same experience with telephotos and the compression they create. I was learning that I could control the way people viewed my subject, therefore how they felt about it, with the decisions I made. With great power comes great responsibility, right?
Thankfully it was around this time that I met world-renown architectural photographer Tim Griffith, and had the opportunity to start assisting him in some of his work. My time with him taught me so much about how to wield the powerful tool of a wide-angle (and typically tilt-shift) lens. So much consideration was put into focal length and camera position. If you chose incorrectly, you could distort space into something foreign and distracting; evoking negative feelings about the design of a room. If you knew where to be, you could find that sweet spot where your two-dimensional representation of a building or room would actually ENHANCE the design and show off what the architect was thinking when they created the space.
This led to a great appreciation of a good tripod and shooting tethered. It allows me the opportunity to be extremely considered in composition, ensuring every element of the frame is exactly where it needs to be. With time and practice, the process has become intuitive and often effortless. I walk into a room, look around for a moment, and am drawn to the spot where the elements will align.
When I photograph people, my approach is often the same. I’ll start with a very organized frame, often dramatic light, and then allow the subject to get comfortable and reveal a piece of themselves. On a tripod, I can interact with the subject without having the camera to my eye, soliciting more sincere emotions and reactions. From there, I frequently come off the sticks and continue to work different angles to create some more variety and spontaneity. It’s a combination that I’ve found allows me to unearth extraordinary moments within ordinary scenes. Using composition, color, light and shadow, I aim to create a dynamic feeling that draws the viewer into the frame.
What gets you up in the morning? inspires you to keep creating?
My kids definitely GET me up every morning, although my wife would point out not as early as they get her up. Coffee WAKES me up every morning, as nothing can really happen for me without coffee first. I grind it out for my family; they're my motivation for most everything, but I think that might be a little different from creative inspiration.
Inspiration to create ebbs and flows for me. Sometimes I am walking around with ideas falling out of my pockets and other times I'm stuck, with no direction. I’m the type of person who needs to confront other ideas to enable my own. I look at the work of people I admire, scrolling online or turning pages in photography books. I find tons of inspiration in music, both in exploring new stuff and going back to my old classics (90’s and 00’s hip hop!). Basically all forms of storytelling do it for me. Movies, books, etc. And then when all else fails, I go outside, preferably near the ocean, and sit and watch the world. It’s funny that sitting quietly in nature is probably the most direct route to inspiration for me, but is often something I forget to consider until I’m really stuck.
Biggest struggle/teaching moment on your journey - to staying a creative rather than giving up on your dream
I’m so lucky, and I do my best never to forget that. Giving up has never really come into play, but not because I have an unlimited fountain of willpower. I’m backed up by an amazing partner in life, and she made it clear when I was starting out I could have the space to struggle and fail until I got traction. So while I was trying to make a name for myself and conjure up business, she had stable work that she loved and we lived minimally, keeping things simple.
I still struggled with imposter syndrome quite a bit, though. Talking to other people about being a photographer when I didn’t actually have much going on was very stressful for me. I had created a mindset where I was measuring myself as a photographer against the old me in my construction management work. I knew plenty of people thought I was crazy to leave a good career to take a gamble on myself as an artist. It’s hard to ignore that, to feel like even your family doesn’t believe you can achieve your dream. A few years in, the pendulum swung, and I started stringing jobs together. Money is not the right metric for life, but something clicked for me when I earned more than my former salary with only myself and my clients to thank for it.
If you could go back 10 years and tell yourself one piece of advice, what would it be?
In the beginning, you say yes to everything, or nearly everything, because you can’t afford to pass up opportunities. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as you’ll get lots of chances to try things out, see what fits, and discard what doesn’t. What’s tougher, however, is recognizing that there comes a time when you need to start deciding who you are, and saying no to the things that no longer serve your mission. You will outgrow some clients and you’ll need to decide to move on. This will feel like lost opportunity at first, but you’re actually making room for the next opportunity.
It’s also critical to learn the mechanisms of the business aspect of whatever type of photography you’re pursuing as soon as possible. If you don’t know who hires people like you, you’re going to have a terrible time trying to generate work. Join professional organizations like ASMP or APA, attend the events, talk to people who are doing what you want to be doing, work for those same people. I came from a world where if you did the right thing, you’d probably advance to the next level. Graduate high school, go to college, get employed, get promoted. I’m not sure that clear-cut trajectory exists in a world where every hobbyist with a camera calls themselves a photographer. When I started freelancing, I had no idea where to start. There is a path, but it’s up to you to seek it out.
That’s more than one thing; I hope I didn’t break the time machine.
What do you do to reset or take a step back and look at the bigger picture? I.e. hobbies
Lately I’ve been messing around on guitar or piano or some other midi instrument when I need to clear my head. I’ve used journaling and collaging in the past as well, and will probably circle back to them soon. I like to keep creating, and switch up the medium. Meditation never fails to help, and if you’re into that, try a float tank. Woah.
When do you do your best work? 6am? midnight? noon?
I get a kick out of feeling like I’m ’stealing’ time when everyone else is asleep. Usually, that means I stay up late, but it’s equally effective if I get up early before the world is awake. It’s tough to be the first one up in my household though, so I’m trending late these days.
How much production/pre-production goes into your work?
As much as is allowed for the project, really. I’m a fan of a solid plan. Most of my work is dependent upon natural light (even when we mix our own light in with it) and a variety of locations, so I dedicate a lot of time to scouting, shot planning, and coordinating with where the sun will be. It’s pretty key to ensuring you stay productive and don’t miss the next location because time got away from you.
what projects have you been working on lately?
I haven’t really published it anywhere just yet, but I’ve been spending lots of my free time working on a series of shots that evoke how isolated I’ve felt during the pandemic. It’s portraits of people in a crazy, half-respirator mask; usually alone, in a scene where you’d expect to see some busy-ness.
And on a lighter note, I’ve been photographing a lot of beautiful interior spaces for different biotech companies. The work that they’re doing in these places is world-changing, so it feels like a good match to me that it’s happening in some beautiful settings.
Who is your dream client to work with?
That’s the BIG question, isn’t it? Right now, since I’m dreaming of travel, I’d have to say it would be a campaign with a luxury hotel brand. A project that would have us shooting in awesome, modern locations all over the world. That sounds pretty amazing, right?