MATT TIMMONS BLOG

Well, maybe I should say my favorites of 2009.  There were a lot to choose from, but if I posted half of the ones I really liked, this post would be longer than it already is (apologies).  So here’s my favorites of ’09, in order of time they were taken.  It was a fun year of shooting and growing.

This was a client shoot I did in January.  They never got wedding photos and needed something to fill that.  So I had them head to the thrift store and buy some outfits that they could get dirty.  We shot it on the rocks with a magazine-style editorial look to it.  There were many from this that turned out great and they were really happy.

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A jewelry ad concept that I ended up winning a NAPP Editor’s Choice award for.

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The other half of the concept, with a shot of San Fran that I took from Treasure Island a few years back.  There were 7 elements shot separately and composited together.  Nothing in this shot was ever in the same place at the same time with the exception of the dress/model.

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Same day, and was Amy’s first shoot.  She wasn’t anywhere near fire at any time, but my assistant Kevin and I almost burned down the studio with this stunt.  Anything to get the shot, right?  The lawyers can work out who owes who.

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This was a total Rock Star shoot.  Probably the hardest and most fun/rewarding shoot I did all year.  We really shot it on top of 4 buildings over 5 nights in downtown Albuquerque.  We shot it in March when the windy season is getting fired up- and it nearly blew us off the roofs.  This is a real shot near the edge of the building, nothing composited.  I just positioned the camera to where her feet matched the building ledge and erased out our scaffold rig she was standing on.  I have to salute the models and crew (Dustin, Kevin, Alexx, Lauren, Natilee, Tiffany and Shannon) for making this possible.  Thanks guys, I love you for it.

The second night.  One of my all time favorite shots and digital composites, and my second NAPP Editor’s Choice award.

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The city background was composited in because the original ‘real’ city background just didn’t have any energy to it.  I had to play ‘stylist’ on this shoot as well- my hats off to real stylists because it’s hard to know what goes together on what model.  Shoes, accessories, hair style- ugh my head hurts just thinking about it all.

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After fashion, it was time to shoot some summer swimwear.  This one was set up through the proper channels for weeks- because it was to be done in the Civic Center Plaza in right in the middle of downtown Albuquerque.  The Mayor ended up kicking us out because he received calls from all the office buildings around the area with complaints that workers weren’t working because they were watching the swimsuit shoot in the fountain.  We did attract quite and audience that day.  Everyone thought we were shooting for Sports Illustrated with famous models.

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We went out of town to an old abandoned adobe hut for this.  I didn’t have a crew, so I just had to use available light- meaning direct sunlight (a major no-no).  Me, model and camera, that was all.  The original swimsuit was red but I decided to play designer and give it my own color idea.  This turned out be a really fun and relaxing day.  Just me and Danielle cruising around New Mexico all day shooting swimwear on location.

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A hugely successful shot for Gertrude Zachary Jewelers.  The model was shot without jewelry and the items were shot and added later.  This shot ran on several billboards and magazine print ads.

This was a retouch I did from scratch.  Alma, the model, had no makeup on when I shot it (other than foundation and light lip gloss).  I did the makeup myself in post production as well as the skin tones and highlights.   I added the watch also, and it’s brighter than normal because it’s a jewelry ad.

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Last and definitely not least.   The longest day ever and this is why we do it.  At first I wasn’t very proud of this shot, I guess I had something different in mind.  It was a mentally hard day because I waited for months to get this shoot together and when we finally got down to White Sands it turned overcast and grey when what I wanted was white sand and blue sky.  More and more this shot has grown on me, and I really love it now because it just has something special about it.  Audrey just started spilling the sand, I turned off the strobe and just shot with available.  I didn’t even realize until we got back home that I had captured the only sunlight we got all day- that fire-tinted sunset behind her.  Magic.  I’m still fighting that speeding ticket.

2009 was a fun year and I’m really, REALLY looking forward to O-Ten with many plans to shoot even more creatively, with more locations and even some international location shoots in the works, including Italy in the spring.  Ciao!

Simple question it would seem. But how many times have you looked at a shot that really blew you away? Was it a certain element that did it or the image as a whole? Did you know exactly why it was great or was it one of those situations where you didn’t know exactly why you liked it- you just did? Of course the terms “good” or “great” are interchangeable according to any given individual’s taste and preference. However sometimes a “good” photo can cross boundaries and inspire almost anyone to agree that it is impressive on whatever level or perspective that they appreciate.

I think that a great shot is an amalgamation of several elements occurring at once. I saw a shot recently that impressed me and I asked myself why I liked it. It was by some no-name model mayhem photographer but it was just a beautiful shot. It was of a model, doing her model thing- but I wondered if had it been an average person in the shot would it have the same impact? If her hair wasn’t styled that way? If it would have been shot in a different environment? It was just a good shot all around. The model, her expression, the lighting, the location, the hair, the makeup, the wardrobe and the photographer’s vision were all elements that occurred at the split-second the shutter clicked. One can plan all-day to put together a great shot, but if all the elements (and frequently, luck) don’t come together at the button push, you could be looking at a lackluster performance at 1/125th of a second.

It’s funny to me how much my “eye” improves the more I shoot. What used to be a great shot to me a year ago now falls short. And what is a great shot to me now falls short to someone else who has more experience than me. I love to see my work through the eyes and opinions of others because it helps me to see with less “tunnel vision” why my shot might not be so great, or just that I missed the mark here or there.

How to improve your odds of getting the really great shots? Practice. Practice and knowing what elements you want to come together. Casting the right people, knowing what the vision is and how to light it. Directing those in front of the camera to perform what’s in your head. Making the photo instead of taking pictures. It’s a major factor in what makes photographers that are shooting commercially and those that are shooting as a hobby. Especially 5 years from now.

A good photo is still a good photo even if the only ones who tell you it is is your mom and your friends- or just yourself. But the shots that turn heads are the ones that just about anyone can agree that they are impressed by it in some way- or would pay money to buy it or have it advertising their business. Getting all the elements to come together when you click the shutter is the pathway to getting the shots that can cross visually-opinionated boundaries. Learn from others. Practice what you enjoy shooting. Get out of your comfort zone. Define your style. Feel free to make mistakes and just keep applying what you learn.

All great photographers sucked at one time, but I think that they figured it out, moved ahead and as a result we look up to them now. It’s not impossible to conceive that many others may look up to you one day