Category: Photo Diary

Weekly: Into 2025

It was a marathon of work, family, and holiday obligations at the end of last year. I’ve come to expect the rush of fall into the holidays, but I’d actually never had a busier fall season. I take none of it for granted, and thankfully I was able to wrap most of it up by mid-December so I could enjoy what I knew would be somewhat truncated holiday season. I barely had time to think about making any sort of content, including updating this blog. I’m currently re-thinking how I’ll approach this website as the year continues. I want this to continue to be a space away from social media algorithms and trends. Many years ago, I consciously chose not to be the guy that simply follows trends. I chose to be as much of the originator of my work as possible. (Even though it really has all been done before.) It’s a much harder path, but long-gaming it has proven to be worth it.

Once Christmas was over I did my usual which was to head out to the desert for New Years Eve with family. The desert, our little escape by the Colorado River in Arizona, is quiet, relaxing, with wide open skies. I enjoy the slower pace out there as much as I can. 

In fact, much of January and February is typically slower for me. I’m hoping to fill that time with much-needed home projects and decluttering.

There’s not much else for me to update here at the moment. I don’t really like recapping the what just happened. I don’t like taking time to reexamine my year and what made it good, bad, or in-between. I don’t have a “best of” list. I don’t feel like I do enough of anything to have a “best of” for anything. I’m an avid reader, but I don’t have stacks of books I can sort into my top ten. I have several fantastic photo clients, but I wouldn’t dare sort them into list. If anything, I’d prefer to stay more present this year. I’ll continue to share my thoughts, photos, and exploits here, but I’d like to spend much of this year fully engaged in the here and now.

See Matt Run: Concert at Mattei’s Tavern

I try to keep this as a space for my thoughts, my ongoings, my projects. A space away from social media algorithms. I try also not to just make this a running list of what I’ve been up to that week, although I’ll admit that is often what I’m on here about. October through December becomes a mixed bag of things. This is when work picks ups steam just in time for the holidays. I actually love the holidays. I love the hustle and the to-do of it all. I love how my small Los Angeles town goes a bit nuts over Halloween and goes all out with the decorations. I usually like to photograph that, so stay tuned…

A few weeks ago, I got called to do photograph an event at The Inn at Mattei’s Tavern in Los Olivos. It is a historical hotel just north of Santa Barbara, originally built in 1886. The event ended up being a mix of things, but mainly featured a concert performed by Kate Hudson and her band. I wasn’t aware that Kate Hudson could sing or write music, but as is usually the case with these gigs, I love being able to be a part of something interesting and new.

While fun, the shoot day ended up being rather long and exhausting. I slept poorly the night before and was awakened by an earthquake. I had to hit the road very early to make the two-and-a-half hour drive, which was actually pleasant. I worked with a video team to capture several aspects of the day while an October heat wave kept up relentlessly that day. Much of the day revolved around Kate and when she’d arrive for soundcheck and then her performance.

Having grown up around the TV and film industries, I’ve met famous people and have been able to work with a few. From my experience, you never know what to actually expect. Celebrities are regular people with a lot of pressure on them, so it can be a mixed bag. I had been told that Kate was actually great, easygoing, and really fun to work with. I kept an open mind. When she did arrive and perform later that night, the process was easy and fun. I was able to get some really nice shots…in fact, a few of these shots were featured in this Harpers Bazaar article the next day.

By the way, Kate Hudson happens to be quite a great singer/songwriter. Her band was fantastic. I particularly liked her song “Glorious.”

After a very long day in the heat, I had to scramble to get the above shots to her for approval. This wasn’t exactly ideal, since I like to take time for such things. But again, Kate was really awesome to work with and made the extra effort worth it. I’m not someone who makes it a point to fawn over celebrities, but when someone exudes actual star qualities it makes you feel uplifted, like you want to keep doing better work. I hope to have some of those qualities myself.

Summer: Oversized, hot, lazy

My big tush is made for hiking, dancing, being at photo sessions. After a weekend away in the desert, I’m dragging myself back to work mode. How easy I forget that the job of a freelance artist is mainly in front of a computer screen.

I’ll also admit that reaching to find inspiration in these dog days often involves me arguing with myself. “Do I have to? It’s way too hot! I’m already sweating my SPF off!” The sun shines a bit too brightly on everything midday. My neck is burning. Those eternally classic images I’m trying to find seem to elude me because everything and everyone looks hot and moist.

An oversized beet at the OC Fair.

This time of year is usually the slowest for me. My regular client are usually off on vacation, or otherwise out-of-office (OOO). And yet, the summer weeks are drawing to a close and it’s time to answer emails. The busy part of business calls.

The bloom spike on the agave in my front yard towering above at nearly 30 feet.

Much like myself when I’m in the desert, I want to remain lazy. The emails can wait, right? Not in my business, and certainly not at the point in my career. Despite being at this photography thing for awhile now, I’m still in the establishing phase. I’m still laying the solid foundation that keeps me solid as a build and grow. Laziness need not apply.

Overflowing bounty at the farmer’s market.

I’m holding on to the last bits of summer. In SoCal, we know the heat will last well into September, October, even past Thanksgiving and into Christmas. Before I know it, the time changes back to Standard Time and that’s when things get really tough for my mood and overall motivation. But I’ll cross that bridge when I get there.

August 4 – Planting basil, OC County Fair, summer cooking

These long, hot summer days. No matter how much prepare, I sweat through my clothes and off the serums and sunscreen I paid decent money for. In my house, we’re frugal with the AC. So for a few days, when the heat wasn’t quite as brutal, we flung all the windows open and enjoyed the warm breeze for what it was. Eventually, though, I gave in as the days once again became unbearable. And, no matter how careful I am, at least once mosquito manages to get inside the house and wreak havoc on my ankles.

A project: I managed to assemble the beautiful cedar garden planter I got for my birthday. It only took a few dozen bolts, nuts, and some patience. I was able to get it done in an hour. The next day, I filled it with soil and different varieties of basil, which are hanging in alright in their sunny spot. I worry they might perish if I happen to leave down. The risk one takes in garden. Vigilance is key, but so is being willing to walk away when needed.

Slightly related to gardening, I visited the Orange County Fair with my dad and my brother. I hadn’t been in ages, and didn’t remember quite what it was like. And since I had gotten so used to working the LA County Fair, I was surprised to see just how small the OC Fair is in comparison. The Pomona Fairplex is truly a giant and nearly impossible to take in all in one day. I’m partial to the LA Fair, but I will say the OC Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa make for an easier walking experience.

Cooking:

I’m trying to remember to take more photos of what I’ve been cooking at home lately.

Here is a vegan potpie. Very simple, no recipe, but full of vegetables I had in the freezer and topped with a drop biscuit recipe from The Joy of Vegan Baking. (This book is a staple in my kitchen, especially during holiday baking.)

Everything tastes better in vintage blue cornflower Corningware.

Right around now is where I can sense the light changing, even though I know we’re in for a few more months of intense California heat. I feel it, too, as I begin to gear up or what is normally by busy season in event photography.

Photographing WeHo Pride 2024

I took my camera (Leica MP TYP 240) to West Hollywood this month to photograph Pride on my own. Pride is a special time of year for me, although like many LGBTQIA+ people I’ve had conflicting feelings about it over the years. The partying, the substances, the corporate sponsorships, the rainbow-washing–all of these seem to take away from the original message of the original Pride marches. It took me a long time to understand Pride as both a party and a protest. Pride is both rage and joy. Pride is over-the-top because Pride is about saying “I am not ashamed, and I’m here.”

And, like many, I’d rather use this celebration as a creative opportunity and to act the documentarian. Here are some of my shots. I hadn’t done street photography style shooting in a long time, so it felt a little bit like getting back on a bike again.

April 21 – A Dutch newspaper, the Dodgers, street photography, and the Pasadena Playhouse Gala.

I found out that some of the work I did for the Consulate of the Kingdom of the Netherlands was featured in a Dutch newspaper. Hidde, a friend and colleague, sent me a photo of the paper. I also found the article online, if you speak Dutch and want to get past the paywall.

A friend of mine invited me to a Dodger game. I took my Nikon F3 loaded with Kodak 400 T-Max. I took a few shots. Haven’t developed the roll yet. This started me carrying a smaller 35mm camera with me to more places, something photographers talk about all the time but I sometimes find a little burdensome. Carrying a camera around the grocery store, to the gas station, the post office…it seems a little odd. Then again, the great street photographers carried cameras and film with them always. They’d either roam the streets all day, or shoot in any spare moment they had.

More and more, I wonder about street photography. My stepdad had introduced me to the idea years ago, and we even attended one of the first exhibits of the work of Vivian Maier in Los Angeles. It seems like over the last six or seven years, especially on platforms like YouTube, street photography became more about content creation than actually decent photos. Content churner-outers are more emboldened to stick cameras in strangers’ faces, the idea of consent goes out the window fairly easily. The mystique of street photography lies in photography books. The now-forgotten names of the faces in the works of Vivian Maier, Elliot Erwitt, Robert Frank, and Diane Arbus, they peer out at us from another time. It’s easy to forget that they may not have consented to having their photo taken, while these were also eras when cameras weren’t so ubiquitous. No one was making content from street photography, because street photography didn’t pay. I’m not so sure it pays now since it doesn’t seem to be for anyone now, but for generations to come.

I’m in a swirl of photo editing from my steady stream of clients this month. I’ve been really happy with how much of the work has turned out, especially some of these shots from the Pasadena Playhouse annual gala. It was almost rained out, save for a set of elaborate clear catering tents. I put a prime lens on my DSLR and took advantage of the shimmer all around me from the raindrops falling on the enclosure.

Eclipse Day In SoCal

It wasn’t as exciting in our neck of the woods. But I do remember the phenomenon of the light making little crescent moons through the trees.

Some people use a colander. I liked this for some simple black and white shots.

Matt

Photo Walk: Olvera Street and Union Station

An impromptu day trip to Olvera Street in DTLA for people watching and street photography. 

Took the train into Union Station, which is classic Los Angeles in Mission Moderne style—a blend of Spanish Colonial, Mission Revival, and Art Deco architecture.

I grew up thinking Olvera Street was the preserved remnants of a small Mexican village, but learned recently it was actually saved from demolition and built as a tribute to Mexican culture that had existed here before urbanization. 

Still, Olvera Street features some deep history of LA, including the Avila Adobe (the oldest house in Los Angeles), the oldest living grape vines in Los Angeles, and a stone pathway marking one of the founding water channels of the Pueblo de Los Angeles.

Mexican vendors selling toys, decor, music, games, clothing, and food are are meshed together in this small, cramped street. I wanted to order the famous taquitos from Cielito Lindo, but being vegan the only menu option seemed to be a Soyrizo and potato burrito. It sounded delicious but my appetite wasn’t quite ready for it.

I caught some dancing in the nearby Plaza de Los Angeles (the oldest plaza in California)  where I couldn’t help but feel the sheer joy of seeing people simply dancing in the streets. I’ve been coming to Olvera Street since childhood, and it was good to feel this place once again.

Travelog: Zion National Park

Zion National Park, once the ancestral home of the southern Paiute, as well as the Ute and Navajo, and once known also as Mukuntuweap.

I hadn’t been back since I was a kid. In fact, I found a display in the park noting the last time I was here, 1995 when I was trapped with my family in the Zion Lodge due to a landslide. I nearly jumped when they mentioned said landslide on the shuttle ride in.

The Court of the Patriarchs at dawn

You can’t help but be inspired by this place. I feel like a poor man’s Ansel Adams. No photos do these incredible cliffs justice.

The crowds were a bit much. I got an earlier start, parking early enough to catch the very first shuttle into the park to see the famous Court of the Patriarchs at dawn. I got in a few of the simpler hikes, ate at the Lodge, then left the park midday back to the airstream camp I’m staying in.

I loved the various natural hanging gardens along the Riverside Walk.

I know why everyone—the indigenous folks, the Mormons, the Methodists who named three towers here after three biblical patriarchs—sees this place as a temple of sorts. The un-scalable cliffs humble you almost instantly. 

The famous Zion arch, about 900 feet long.

I actually spent two full days in and around Zion. I also worked on some video, so I’m working on a way to share that as well.