Thaipusam: Pre-Workshop Prep
Gavin Gough and I officially start our 2012 Thaipusam workshop tonight, here in Penang. So yesterday met several of the families we have arraigned for our participant to follow and photograph during the festival. We also did a pre-workshop run through with the models we have secured for our participants to photograph. We have found [...]
When Insurance Is No Insurance
Many folks ask me what do I do for camera and gear insurance when I am on the road. In theory I have it covered by a very credible company. Though this theory has never been put to the test. (It has on the other hand cost me a lot in premiums.) I joined the [...]
Depth of Field: Keith Talley
I have known Keith Talley for years. Keith he is a commercial photographers out of Texas. Not the glam kind that take shots of sexy models in skimpy underwear. Keith’s has more talent that that, he makes vinyl flooring look sexy. Frankly, that’s talent. When he is not traveling all over the US shooting industrial [...]
Vlog #8 Is photo attribution all it is cracked up to be?
Today we talk about photo attribution. You know, those little words we photographers love to see under our images, “Photo by {insert your name here}” But are attributions worth fighting for, more to the point, are you willing to to swap attribution out for payment? Many people do. I think this is nuts! Are you willing [...]
Depth of Field: Mitchell Kanashkevich
My only problem with Mitchell Kanashkevich is his name – I can’t pronounce it! Mitch is an amazing photographer that at any given moment can be found documented the world with his camera. From the surfer miners of Java to shepherds in India passion lies in capturing disappearing ancient cultures and the human condition in unique, challenging [...]
Vlog #7 Dining Room Shoot and a Case Study of Geotagging Photos
Vlog #7 Dining Room Shoot and a Case Study of Geotagging Photos from Matt Brandon on Vimeo. So here is Vlog # 7. Moving right along. This week I wax eloquently…ok scratch that, I just ramble and tell you a story about how I did a short photo session in my dining room with my [...]
A conversation with Gavin Gough: Thaipusam
I needed to clear up a few things about the upcoming Thaipusam workshop – So I gave my co-leader and good friend Gavin Gough a call. We chatted a little over 30 minute and like always we rambled a bit but had a great time. Feel like listening in? Here you go: Please take a [...]
Guest Post: Instant Gratification
Today’s guest post is by Stephanie Watkins. Stephanie has a creative eye and an artist spirit and it shows though in her work. I met Steph through her husband Nate, who you can see lurking in the back of my latest Vlog post (vlog #6). Her Polaroid work is stunning and I wanted to [...]
Video Blog #6 The Drobo Nightmare
Vlog #6 from Matt Brandon on Vimeo. Something new. Ok, it isn’t really new, I have done five other video blog post in the past. But I’ve never recorded any of them with the 5D MKII. So this is new. In this video I take a look at the Drobo storage device and how it [...]
Empty Nets
I am working on a project for a NGO that is focusing on the peoples of Africa and Asia’s coastal waters. In short, we are looking at issues of over fishing, climate change and natural disasters like the Acheh tsunami and how these factors effect the livelihood of the coastal people. This is from today’s [...]
Thaipusam Gear Giveaway!
As you no doubt have heard by now, Gavin Gough and I are leading an amazing workshop in Penang, Malaysia, February 4th – 11th, 2012. We are fortunate to have two very generous sponsors for this event, Phottix professional photo accessories and Spider Camera Holster. As such, we want to share the love with… well… [...]
Faces of Jogja
We finally were able to see Borobudur, though it was cloudy. Not the puffy white clouds on blue skies, the completely overcast gray white blanket kind. Great for portraits but not so hot for anything with a sky in it. So here are a few gray looking shots of the ruins of Borobudur. [...]
Rain, rain go away.
Come again another day…. preferably after I leave. Today was a wash – in many ways quite literally. We had planned to photograph sunset at Borobudur, the ancient Buddhist ruins from the 9th century, but we had so much rain we couldn’t even see the ruins. So we choose to skip it for the day [...]
Depth of Field: John McDermott
I met John McDermott this past summer in Angkor Wat while I was co-leading a workshop there. McDermott is typical of the photographers I interview, modest, unassuming and willing to share his story. He first came to Angkor in 1995 to witness a total eclipse of the sun. Inspired by the surreal, otherworldly light of [...]
New deal from an old friend: PhotoShelter
I love PhotoShelter and I think you will too. These folks have a love affair with photographers. Really, they love us and when we do well, they do well. Sort of a symbiotic thing. They provide photographers with valuable services for working photographers like a photo website or and online galleries that can be [...]
Prepping for a Cross Culture Shoot
While many of my friends and associates are off to India to attend the Pushkar Camel Festival this week I decided to go the opposite direction. I am headed to Jogjakarta, Indonesia to photograph Eid al-Adha or as we used to call it in India, Baqra Eid (Goat Eid). It is also known as the [...]
Is Fear Your Art Director?
This will be a short post. It’s really just a reminder to take advantage of the moment. This morning I went to Georgetown (Penang, Malaysia) scouting out some locations for an upcoming photo walk. As I was walking through Little India, I stopped and went inside a Hindu temple. These temples have always been inviting [...]
Off-Camera Flash Made Easy
Let me set the record straight right here, I am not a strobist. Ninety five percent of the time I shoot with available light, the other five percent I shoot with my flash set to rear curtain sync (It’s fun. You should try it!) I really don’t like the ugly flat light that on-camera flashes [...]
2012 Workshop Schedule
I’ve received several e-mails asking about next year’s workshop schedule. Realizing that my workshop page was not as easy to access as I had imagined (I changed the links location in the menu bar and have now made it more prominent.) I thought I would also highlight the current list of workshops I have running [...]
Multimedia: The Pull Rickshaws of Kolkata
Last week I returned from Kolkata ( the city formerly known as Calcutta ), India. I actually didn’t go for an assignment or even to take photos. I accompanied with my wife who had business there and while in Kolkata we visited with some friends. Yet, if truth be known, a photographer never goes anywhere without [...]
Rickshaw Pullers of Kolkata
Click on the images to view larger. I lived in India for thirteen years. In that time I only ever flew through Calcutta, or Kolkata as it is called today. This week I find myself in this amazing place. It is significantly different than Delhi and other places I have visited or lived in India. [...]
Introducing The Craft & Vision Community
I am tickled pink to be able to announce the new Craft and Vision Community that David duChemin and the fine folks at Craft and Vision have been inspired to create. I am excited, partly because I am intimately involved in one particular aspect of the Craft and Vision Community and that is the podcast. [...]
Going into depth
I am what some people call an intuitive photographer. By that I mean, I take photographs often by what feels right. Many times people that are intuitive at any craft or talent make bad instructors. When asked why they do something they simply reply, “I don’t know, it just feels right.” As an instructor, I [...]
Multimedia: Durian, The Scent of a King
I am convinced that the durian is a misunderstood fruit. As you will learn from watching this slideshow that it is known for its pungent odor and it’s rather mushy texture. I have also learned that it is rather subjective whether it is pungent in it’s smell or just “heavily scented” or if the texture [...]
I shoot for mostly NGOs and nonprofits. I photograph images of the unknown, the forgotten and the helpless. These are often the stories that most people overlook. 
