Stories FromThe Lens by Brian Matiash

8/19/2019 Stories FromThe Lens by Brian Matiash

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Stories from the LensA Collection of My Favorite Photo Posts

Throughout the Years

Brian Matiash


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Stories from the Lens A Collection of my Favorite Photo Posts Throughout The Years

Published by Brian Matiashhttp://brianmatiash.com

Copyright © 2015 Brian Matiash, All Rights Reserved

Written by: Brian MatiashPhotography by: Brian MatiashLayout and Design: Brian Matiash

Publishing & Design Consultant: Nicole S. YoungAuthor Photo: Nicole S. Young

Notice of RightsAll rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the priowritten permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

LiabilityThe information in this book is distributed on an “As Is” basis, without warranty. Neither the author, the publisher nor the companies owned by thauthor shall have any liability to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused by or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by thinstruction contained in this book or by the websites or products described in it.

TrademarksMany of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designationappear in this book, and Brian Matiash was aware of a trademark claim, the designations appear as requested by the owner of the trademark. All othproduct names and services identified throughout this book are used in editorial fashion only and for the benefit of such companies with no intentioor infringement of the trademark. No such use, or the use of any trade name, is intended to convey endorsement or other affiliation with this book.

ISBN-10: 0990944611ISBN-13: 978-0-9909446-1-4


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We are certainly living in an unprecedented time when it comes to the rate of sharing the

details of our lives. We share our thoughts about social issues, our favorite sports team,

and the last meal we ate at that new restaurant downtown. I think sharing is something

that has always been intrinsically part of us and we’re only beginning to tap into that as the

mediums in which we are able to share become more evolved. It’s especially an exciting

time for photographers because we’re seeing innovation happening that is impacting

everything from the way we shoot to the way we share. It truly is a wonderful time to be

a picture taker.

I first started sharing the imagery, experiences and stories around my photographic

endeavours in 2008, when I launched my website. When discussing the mechanics ofrunning a blog, a friend of mine told me about his two simple rules: post often and post

consistenly high quality content . It seems like rather blunt advice but heeding it was one

of the best things I could have ever done.

My own growth as a photographer can be attributed to countless lessons, stories, and

articles that have been shared by so many likeminded photographers, all in the name of

driving the pursuit of this craft. It was this spirit of giving and sharing that drove me to

want to share all of my experiences as I grew and became more familiar with photography

and the photo industry. For many years now, I’ve made it a daily point to share my photos

and the stories/lessons behind them. Now, I’d like to curate

some of my favorite posts that I’ve shared over the years in

this eBook with the continued goal of helping you drive your

own passion as a photographer and storyteller.

Shoot sharply,

Introduction


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Table of ContentsChapter 1

Shooting For Myself 5

Chapter 2

Being A Responsible Photographer 9

Chapter 3

Becoming Friends With Minutia 13

Chapter 4

Evolving The Way You Edit 17Chapter 5

Incorporating Juxtaposition 21

Chapter 6

You Are The Constant Variable 25

Chapter 7

The Creative Block 29

Chapter 8

Isolating Your Subject For Impact 33

Chapter 9

You Are The Director 37Chapter 10

Layers Within The Frame 41


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March 28th, 2

Shooting For Mysel 1


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Wow – it really feels good to get into a routine of editing and posting images afterspending a manic (read: awesome!) week in Washington, DC for Photoshop World.I’ve got a good stock of images to begin culling through but I wanted to begin editingone that I remember taking early on during my visit because I thought it’d make agood post here.

No matter how many times you visit the National Mall, it always seems like themonuments are novel and, therefore, need to be photographed again and again. Andin a way, that is very much true. The grandioseness of these gorgeous structuresdeserve nothing less than to be immortalized by our patronage and by beingphotographed.

However, it does seem like you can achieve photo burnout rather easily, yes? I findmyself guilty of this as I ended up shooting Abe in just about every which way and,ultimately, it was this very first shot that I took of him that ended up being my favorite.

Why is that?

I think it’s because I just stopped at the base of the monument and let the shot cometo me. Our natural tendency is to run up those stairs, plop our cameras down insidethe memorial and shoot Abe… as it were. With this shot, I decided to take a minute,switch to my long lens and see what I could do differently. I ended up not letting Abetake up most of the frame but rather relegated him to a small portion of it. I felt likehis presence was made even greater that way.

But here is the real reason why I dig this shot and make no bones about it and neithershould you:

I always strive to make an image that you won’t make. Plain. Simple. Honest.

It’s something that I strive for every time I go out shooting. I want to set myselfapart from you and you and you. And you should want to do the same too! Thereis absolutely nothing wrong with sticking to this idea. I shoot for me and me alone.The fact that these stories come with the images is gravy and I love that I can sharemy thoughts with you here but the lonely truth is that my photographs are taken

solely with me and my sensibilities in mind. And there is absolutely nothing wrongwith that, is there?

So when you go out shooting, take a minute and think about what you can do foryourself to put your own signature on your images. Keep doing this and I promisethat you will be a better photographer for it.


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April 23rd, 2012

Being A Responsible Photographer 2


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Taking part in shooting with other photographers has its benefits and detriments—to this, I’m sure most all of us can agree on. The social aspect is a wonderfulway to compound on our own individual sense of creativity via collaboration.

However, with it comes responsibility—most notable is being mindful of ones ownsurroundings. This photo taken on Buntzen Lake, near Vancouver, BC illustratesmy point quite lucidly.

Imagine me standing here, for what seemed like 30 minutes, waiting for:

1. The light to hit this structure exactly right and2. Two other photographers to clear that little pathway as they deliberatelychimped each shot they took without any consideration for their surroundings.

Now, picture my wife, Nicole, standing 1 foot to my left, also going for a similar-yet-different shot of this structure (we had totally difference lenses on and were

shooting at different focal lengths). Our tripod legs were sort of crossed overbecause we both wanted to share this ideal vantage point.

Finally, the stars aligned as the sun lit the scene perfectly and those twphotographers cleared the way (after a teeny bit of verbal provocation truly). I was the first to start exposing. I saw that I got the shot I wanted took one more for insurance.

When the second exposure completed, I picked up my tripod rather hain the process, slightly bumped one of its legs against Nicole’s tripod. Tno doubt that her exposure was ruined. All it takes is a tiny bump to kexposure. And the worst part was that it was her first (and only) shot. Byshe prepped for another exposure, the light was gone and would notthe same way for the rest of the day.

I was that photographer, the “Faux Pas Master .” I felt awful for ruiningdue to my carelessness but Nicole took it in stride the way that she does. Still, it was a good lesson on the responsibilities we owe to ourseto our peers. That extra second of thought to look around and be very d

with our movement can go a long way.


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April 17th, 2

Becoming Friends With Minu3


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I don’t care who you are—you are never done with a scene, a literal sense, at least. Sure, you may be spent with a locatia particular day but there are simply too many variables thaboth within and outside your control. You just need to opyour mind to see what those variables are and how you cathem to your advantage.

For example, I took this photo in a random alleyway in BostoI’ve shot many times before. I shot it with wide glass, long gand covered the gamut of f-stops. I shot it in the sun, theand in the darkness of night. And even after all of those shI still walked away with this shot from my most recent visitof my favorites from this location.

Why? Because I embrace minutia. I do my very best to notanything for granted... even something as forgettable corrugated metal water drain.

So how do you go about enjoying minutia? The easiest waycan explain it is to see at the focal length of the lens that youmounted on your camera. A lot of times, I find that longerlengths work better here. If I remember correctly, I had my 5lens on at the time, so I limited my field of vision to approximthat focal length. I forced myself to see in 50mm chunks.

So, when I happened onto this water pipe, I scanned it updown in 50mm chunks and stopped at an area that I foube very charismatic and visually appealing to me. And, mentioned, of all the shots I took in this alleyway, this is e

one of my favorites.You just need to train yourself to appreciate the little flotsalife and the rest will fall into place… photographically, as lea


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June 16th, 2014

Evolving The Way You Edit 4


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In about an hour, I’ll be taking off to Germany to visit my colleagues at the Nik office in Lubeck followed by a short stint working out of the Goooffice. It’s always cool to see what they’re working on. I guess image editing is funny like that—there always seems to be a better or different or fato edit an image. Whether it’s the style you apply or the platform you work on, there is a never-ending quest to refine our editing techniques —andgood thing. It helps reduce the likelihood of falling into a rut or pigeonholing yourself. It also aids in exposing ourselves to new ways of doing thingsevolution play a little part in our methods of creative thinking.

I, for one, am always auditing how I edit, asking myself “ Is there something better that I can do to more closely realize my creative vision? ” I do tthing when I’m out in the field, mind you, but I admit to having a special fondness for the post process. Do you find yourselves doing the same thsort of like the photographer’s never-ending quest to find the perfect camera bag. I know you know what I’m talking about. :)

Take this image for example. There was a time not too long ago that I’d never even consider editing, much less posting, from a tablet (in this case, aiPad Air). I’d give myself all sorts of excuses about why that would be a tragedy. But, as I tinkered with the idea more and started factoring in thsizable benefits of this lean and light, yet robust, mobile editing/publishing platform, things started to jive. While waiting for my plane to board,this image up in Snapseed after syncing it from my Sony a7 camera via WiFi. Sure, I didn’t set the custom WB or work off of a RAW file. But you know

I was really happy with the result and because of that, I am able to share it with you on-the-fly. No problems, no worries.

It’s something that I’m going to be exploring more of in the coming weeks here on my blog and I hope you are able to get as much out of this as I


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February 29th, 2

Incorporating Juxtapositio5


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jux•ta•pose [juhk-stuh-pohz]

verb (used with object), -posed, -pos·ing_to place close together orside by side, especially for comparison or contrast

Yesterday, shortly after I posted my image of a burnt outstructure with a sunburst shining through a hole in oneof the walls (precending page), someone left a commentasking why I wanted to “happy up” a grunge shot. It was agood question and I had the answer immediately—it wasto create juxtaposition using elements presented to mewithin my scene. It is something I strive to do as often aspossible, especially when there is such a dominant theme—like my series of UrbEx photos. The primary elementsclearly are the gloom and murk. Being able to juxtaposeand contrast them by using something as cheery as thebright sun is a wonderful thing in my book.

I took the same exact approach with the image on thefollowing page. While I wish I could take credit for expertlyarranging a pile of bricks to spell out this wonderful word,I was more than happy to capitalize on the effort. In thecase of this photo, not only was I able to juxtapose theseemingly hostile and cold nature of the grungy scenewith the warm singular word, LOVE , but I was also ableto use it to literally spell out the word that represents theemotion I feel most when shooting this type of scenery.I absolutely love UrbEx photography and I am lucky everytime I get an opportunity to partake in it.

So, next time you’re out shooting, try looking beyond theface value of what your scene presents. See if you canincorporate some juxtaposition and give your viewerssomething more to ponder as they enjoy your work.


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May 25th, 2012

You Are The Constant Variable 6


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I want to share a concept that I wholeheartedly believe ivery important that you take it seriously. Simply, unders YOU are always the one constant variable in your photothis photo of the Goden Gate Bridge marked my very visting San Francisco, and, to a larger extent, California itsreally excited to see the cable cars, the Embarcadero athan anything else, this landmark.

Now, it may be easy to psych yourself out from trying good shot” of something that has already been photogratrillion and forty two times already, but as a photographea photographer, right?), you owe it to yourself to get the

yourself and here is my reasoning for why:

Until it has been shot by you, it hasn’t been shot

You love the rhetoric, right? :)

But in all seriousness, ask yourself this one question:What is the one most important variable brought to tscene?

Simply put, it’s YOU!

When I stood here at this very spot, in the vicinity oaccomplished local photographers/friends, the one key vamy own artistic sensibilities. Did it matter that they werethe exact same subject? Not at all. None of them wereshoot or process the exact same way I would and vice v

each ended up walking away with our own variations of thing and I can now turn back to my Lightroom catalog andI have put my own stamp on this iconic landmark. And ywhat? It feels awesome!


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July 26th, 20

The Creative Bloc7


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I recently read a post by a good friend, where he methat he was taking a break from photography aprocessing because it was starting to feel like more than anything else. I have no doubt that tmany of us who could empathize with my frientime or another, myself included.

We’re photographing more in a single day thamankind had in previous centuries. We’re sharingmore and more by the second! We’re ingesting nto photograph and to share photographs. It’s a remand busy time that we live in.

I know the feeling you can get when you launch Ligflip through folder after folder of images and it juslike you’re looking through them but not at them.disheartening and soul-crushing because it is at tmoment that your act of photographing and promoves from an enjoyment to a chore.

How you proceed from this moment is critical. It’stake this moment and magnify it only because it part of you that is so near and dear—your creativityany other muscle, your mind and your eyes need ctraining and exercise. That doesn’t necessarily myou need a camera in your hand 24/7 but it alsomean that you should flip that switch to off for teither. Take a rest or maybe just take the photosactually importing them. Just make sure that yobegin doubting how creative you actually are

creative fatigue happens to every single one of u

So I want to give my friend a shout out and something that I’m sure he already fully knows—shall pass.


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September 8th, 2014

Isolating Your Subject For Impact 8


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One of the most beautiful sunsets that I’ve ever seen was at Main Beach in Byron Bay, Northern New South Wales, Australia. I’ve been to Australia three times sByron Bay seems to be one of the best representations of Australia’s eastern coast. I had such a wonderful time roaming around with my fellow global photoon our TopDeck Travel tour and I thought it’d be a good time to relive some of those memories here.

While going through my archives from that evening at Main Beach, I came across this quick grab that I got of a surfer calling it quits for the day. It goes withouthat he was my primary focal point and I wanted to make sure that I clearly conveyed that. To improve this composition, I opened the image in Photoshop aaway the 15-or-so beach-goers who were lounging in the sand because they were taking the attention away from the surfer. Fortunately, there wasn’t anyowater, which made things easier.

This techique of isolating your subject to maximize impact isn’t a novel one but there are many different ways that you can apply it to get the desired effect.cases, using lots of negative space can help draw the viewer’s eye right to the subject. You can also play around with color shifts so that your primary subjeoff the frame. The goal is to show some clear method as to what you’re presenting in your photo and how you’re presenting it to the viewer.


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September 18th, 2

You Are The Directo9


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One of my chief concerns whenever I’m out creating photographs is making sure that I compose in such a way that directs the viewer’This is my production and I’m the director. It’s my responsibility to bring cohesion and intent to everything that falls within the four wamy frame.

Effectively using leading lines and vanishing points is a surefire way to do this but I’ve also found that another great way to improve pcomposition is by incorporating contrasting elements. Traditionally, we think of contrast in photography as a degree of difference betthe tones in your image.

However, there are multiple ways to look at that. For example, often times, I’ll pit warm tones squarely against cool tones or, as thewith this image, straight lines (with the trees) vs curved shapes (with the natural bend of the stream). All of these little methods help ca more compelling photo when done methodically. It’s something that everyone should keep in mind whenever a photo is being comp


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July 09th, 2012

Layers Within The Frame 10


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Often times, when I visit a new scene to photograph,I try to pay attention to the natural attributes it has tooffer in terms of creating anecdotes and lessons toaccompany these images I share. As a photographerand educator, it’s critical to illustrate any lessons thatcan be gleamed from how I choose to execute on aphoto. Big Spring Creek Falls, in Washington, is oneof those target and feature rich locations, providingendless lessons for me to share. This is just one ofmany images that I’ve posted from this area and I’vestill got some more choice ones in the line-up.

This image does a really nice job of illustrating theimportance of using the layers that are naturallypresented to you. As you can see, I started by placingmy dominant element, or my anchor, in the bottomthird of the frame. I always feel that having a strongforeground element gives the viewer a logical startingand end point, as well as provides a place to rest theireyes during the exploration of the photo.

From there, the eye can zig zag upward (or downward)and explore the cascading flow of water. This zigzagging is the exact sort of visual exploration thatI find critical to the success of this photo. By givingyour eyes a path to follow, it is helping you take in allthe details of the shot. And by effectively using layersflowing up and down and left to right, I am giving youa road map for how your eyes should travel throughthe frame.

It’s just one of those tools that all photographersshould keep in their bag of tricks when shooting.


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Brian Matiash is a professional photographerand author based in Portland, OR. He specializesin landscape & travel photography and hasspent over seven years educating and inspiringphotographers all around the world with histutorials, videos, and presentations.

Brian is a member of Sony’s Artisans of Imageryprogram and serves as their Alpha Social &Content Strategist. He also contributes regularlyto Photofocus, Lynda.com and a variety of otheronline and print publications.

You can learn more about Brian on his website and follow his work on Facebook, Twitter, andInstagram.

About the Author
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Stories FromThe Lens by Brian Matiash