tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23174600507606600482011-08-13T09:31:32.718-04:00a place to figure out where my photography comes from, and where it's goingMatt Zugale: Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09491830420813696351noreply@blogger.comBlogger391100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317460050760660048.post-27900323241290531602011-06-01T12:12:00.000-04:002011-06-01T12:12:44.412-04:00

I just like the design a bit better... smartphone app, etc.  Please migrate with me! mattzugale.tumblr.com

Matt Zugale: Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09491830420813696351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317460050760660048.post-66571561878235452372011-05-23T14:41:00.004-04:002011-05-23T14:45:55.229-04:00

Recently I had the opportunity to shoot behind the scenes at the fashion/fundraising event to benefit Village Care called Tulips and Pansies. The amount of time, skill and passion put in to the headdresses and fashion is amazing and all for a good cause. Some of the participants had personalities as big as the headdresses.

Matt Zugale: Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09491830420813696351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317460050760660048.post-38774245354149858812011-05-12T12:05:00.000-04:002011-05-13T16:50:30.442-04:00

Before the break.... Well... 6 years, later it may have had all it can take. I cant count however many thousands of frames I put through that little tank over 5 continents, but these images may be some of the last. I'm happy it happened where I'm at my happiest, shooting on the street in NYC, but the timing was not great. I've taken a bit of time off from shooting with a digital camera, and

Matt Zugale: Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09491830420813696351noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317460050760660048.post-69940211006971894052011-04-29T15:28:00.002-04:002011-04-29T15:47:36.863-04:00

A Royal celebration, some free time, extra lights and 2 awesome people (Deulon Lesure, and Cathryn Mudon).

Matt Zugale: Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09491830420813696351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317460050760660048.post-40089766323250580882011-03-18T14:36:00.000-04:002011-03-18T14:36:34.063-04:00

Ok, sometimes I get carried away with retouching, but I had the desire today to post some images shot with my '30s Rolleiflex, and couldn't stand getting rid of dust anymore. Please forgive the spottiness. I really want to send my digi camera in for repairs and get back on the street with this old machine, maybe I'll bring it to my next test tomorrow...    

Matt Zugale: Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09491830420813696351noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317460050760660048.post-20570749886327434092011-03-14T14:33:00.001-04:002011-03-14T14:33:00.370-04:00

When I'm done working... I usually work. If I'm shooting during the day in the studio, I like to shoot a bit on the street to clear my head, and throughout Winter, New York is full of steam vents and more than a bit of mystery.

Matt Zugale: Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09491830420813696351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317460050760660048.post-375297936979492882011-03-07T02:58:00.015-05:002011-03-07T02:58:00.144-05:00

Sarah, 2011 The week before I started the On White project, I just couldn't sleep. I was thinking about lighting ideas, that were a little out of the ordinary, use minimal gear, and could be easily repeated. I had the setups two from previous posts nailed down in my head, but I wanted one more. Finally, I came up with this setup at about 3 AM. Pete, 2011 Dan, 2011

Matt Zugale: Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09491830420813696351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317460050760660048.post-45061605039023715562011-03-04T14:00:00.000-05:002011-03-04T14:00:03.267-05:00

Tom, 2011 Simple lighting; sunlight, scrim you can't really beat it. This part of the "On White" series is, besides being about it's simplicity of form, is about the simplicity of light, and going back to where I started, black and white. Katie, 2011 Will, 2011

Matt Zugale: Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09491830420813696351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317460050760660048.post-35480143893980772872011-03-01T14:05:00.000-05:002011-03-01T14:05:00.445-05:00

Baseball... 'nuff said.

Matt Zugale: Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09491830420813696351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317460050760660048.post-37921825299042779672011-02-28T14:07:00.000-05:002011-02-28T14:07:00.811-05:00

Matt, 2011 The next few posts will be from a group of studio portraits I've been working on. This winter it's been hard to for me to shoot on the street, but I'll spare you the excuses. FYI, little to no retouching has been done to these images. Minha, left - Henry, right, 2011 One of the reasons I like this setup is the subtlety of the gradation in the background. It's also very easy to

Matt Zugale: Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09491830420813696351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317460050760660048.post-4021339957436410492011-02-23T14:13:00.000-05:002011-02-23T14:13:00.084-05:00

Not quite yet. This winter has been tough, but is it a fluke? An olde timey winter? Climate change leading to a new Ice Age? Lots of snow, but no sledding or snowballs to the face.

Matt Zugale: Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09491830420813696351noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317460050760660048.post-73176230284674399262011-02-21T17:11:00.001-05:002011-02-21T17:12:53.808-05:00

A few years ago, I was fortunate to photograph in Egypt, so my thoughts have been with the people there for the past few weeks. Here are a few shots from that trip.

Matt Zugale: Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09491830420813696351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317460050760660048.post-11070425604244594402010-11-30T16:14:00.002-05:002011-02-22T10:44:41.665-05:00

I can never just have a vacation. I've got this urge to shoot, and try to make "portfolio" images wherever I go. While it would have been easy to take typical tourist pictures (maybe I'm a snob here), but I wouldn't really want to look at them ever again. Especially in a city like Paris, where art abounds and light streaks through the streets, how could I tell my wife to stand still and say "

Matt Zugale: Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09491830420813696351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317460050760660048.post-62845176017120623932010-10-05T15:35:00.001-04:002011-02-22T10:45:40.514-05:00

 So... I've been away alot, always working, sometimes playing, and have totally neglected the old blog. No need for many words here, so here are some images from various adventures (New York, Canada, Ecuador, etc.) Enjoy.

Matt Zugale: Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09491830420813696351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317460050760660048.post-70587942226276281502010-07-12T11:00:00.001-04:002011-02-22T10:46:46.663-05:00

So, the Wall Street project has stalled out a bit, since I've had to actually go out there and earn money. I'm still shooting all the time, and this project is always in the back of my mind.

Matt Zugale: Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09491830420813696351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317460050760660048.post-83846089299892917952010-05-17T19:30:00.007-04:002011-02-22T10:48:05.114-05:00

Struck with a little bit of inspiration, need, and purpose, I've begun a specific street project. Roughly called "Life on 'The Street'" for now, I'm trying to capture the mood of Wall St. these days, but at the same time, looking for every day moments in New York's downtown financial district. The above shot, though admittedly from Canal St. set the tone for the project. Our financial sector has

Matt Zugale: Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09491830420813696351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317460050760660048.post-49275910867468492402010-04-14T13:07:00.003-04:002010-04-14T13:10:10.014-04:00

I've got a back yard in Brooklyn, quite a luxury I'd say. It's taken a lot of work, turning over soil, planting, pulling weeds, stones, roots, etc. Grass is starting to come in. One of the things I've realized is that you have to work on things besides your career. All of the work in the yard is relaxing, and doesn't affect the work on the career. It's actually a benefit, because it allows my

Matt Zugale: Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09491830420813696351noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317460050760660048.post-90022005339341849112010-03-22T17:17:00.005-04:002010-03-22T17:30:10.741-04:00

Just heard that Alex Chilton from Big Star and others, died. Not that I feel totally akin to him or the band, or the song "in the street," but that's where I am much of the time. This is no memorial, just a grand coincidence and a reason to write. Chilton had a sound that he defined on his "#1 Record" and "Radio City." I feel like I'm stepping in to a way of shooting on the street that's

Matt Zugale: Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09491830420813696351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317460050760660048.post-2093458249182014772010-02-11T10:34:00.005-05:002010-02-13T11:40:08.057-05:00

Sometimes it all just works. I chose not to say "clicks" because that's dangerously close to a horrible pun. I was tired, hungry and cranky. Those that know me, know that these things aren't wholly uncommon even though I'm generally in good spirits and fun to work/hang with. Anyhow, after getting off the plane at Laguardia, I headed for the taxi stand and the light punched me in the face. It

Matt Zugale: Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09491830420813696351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317460050760660048.post-62083585416518839952010-02-10T14:56:00.024-05:002010-02-10T16:25:49.185-05:00

The last year, I spent a lot of time photographing the streets of New York City, and wherever my feet would take me. The camera is almost always with me, and even when it's not I'm engaged in looking for photographs. Somewhere, I log in these real life search results and use what I see in future photographs.So, I realize that I'm not the best editor of my own work. I often edit a very wide

Matt Zugale: Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09491830420813696351noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317460050760660048.post-45488918578211004632009-12-15T13:02:00.005-05:002009-12-15T13:38:59.821-05:00

I won't lie, I love film, but I'm definitely not against digital photography. I work as a digital tech much of the time, and as such have been shooting mostly digitally for 5+ years. I'm less enamored with my 5d than I was, I would love a digital back for my Mamiya, and am growing to love the 5dMkii. I'm no luddite, and I might be showing my age/lack there of, by saying that I've been using

Matt Zugale: Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09491830420813696351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317460050760660048.post-12058246015587449872009-11-23T15:04:00.006-05:002009-11-23T15:26:02.663-05:00

Whenever I travel abroad, I find myself planted in a bus crossing some state, or county on a dusty highway. Without stopping, I'm drawn to photograph what we pass as if to slow down the speeding bus. There are so many things that go unnoticed. I tend to photograph the ordinary or unnoticed as a general and often repeating theme. Anyhow... here are a few recent examples from our honeymoon in

Matt Zugale: Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09491830420813696351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317460050760660048.post-55951649647504360952009-11-03T11:01:00.007-05:002009-11-03T12:43:30.090-05:00

The last few months have been great. Work has been pretty steady, and hopefully will continue to be, but that's not the best thing that's happened. Liz and I got married! It was a great day, that took a lot of planning, and a lot of help from family and friends. Big thanks to all. (Tony for the shot above)We set up a few lights for people to take their own pictures (thanks to Jason Varney) and

Matt Zugale: Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09491830420813696351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317460050760660048.post-61703862847958939612009-09-10T13:09:00.007-04:002009-09-10T15:04:48.361-04:00

I legitimately try to produce photographs every day. If I'm not shooting personal work, I'm scanning old film, retouching, or editing the digital deluge of the last 5 years. Images come fast and loose and in all directions. My goal for the next year is to focus on areas of my portfolio that are lacking, namely, my studio work. A more unified look? Like the ones below? Light and Dark? That's one

Matt Zugale: Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09491830420813696351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317460050760660048.post-63564223858885681072009-06-17T17:04:00.008-04:002009-06-17T17:45:30.850-04:00

New images!I've been on the move lately. Mostly just to get out of the house and shoot. So, business is uneven, not surprising, and there's only so much NPR and retouching I can handle (not that I don't love Leonard Lopate and Terry Gross). I mainly wanted to get in to the crowd, right smack in the middle. I wanted to walk in the rain. Soon I'll put up some new old camera/new phographs post.

Matt Zugale: Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09491830420813696351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317460050760660048.post-6652744815377865752009-05-28T18:18:00.004-04:002009-05-28T19:26:54.947-04:00

I, like many other photographers, have a bunch of old cameras. Some are cheap and worthless, some hold curiosity value, and some are fully functional. One camera lingered between worthless and functional - my Grandfather's pre-war Rolleiflex Automat (all the way down). Milky glass, shot shutter speed spring, a missing fine focus lens, and a de-silvered mirror were some of the problems this

Matt Zugale: Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09491830420813696351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317460050760660048.post-28649037866181012822009-05-05T11:42:00.004-04:002009-05-05T12:50:40.639-04:00

So, I've been neglecting my blog but that doesn't mean I haven't been engaged in photography. Lately, I've been shooting a lot with a pre-war Rolleiflex Automat which has encouraged me to step away from my digital camera and the crutch of the LCD screen. Of course, because things are slow and money is tighter than ever, I have yet to develop these 12 rolls of film. It doesn't necessarily matter

Matt Zugale: Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09491830420813696351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317460050760660048.post-47022608641276915212009-03-16T16:24:00.007-04:002009-03-16T18:23:20.561-04:00

I'm looking to the past again. Looking to find out what the heck I'm doing when I'm out on the street. The older work tends to be still, organized, and "more purposeful." These days I stay moving, never stopping to check focus, exposure etc. The pictures I love from this work have a sense of stillness even if there is motion (blur) evident. [above older work, below newer, Feb. 09]Currently, there

Matt Zugale: Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09491830420813696351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317460050760660048.post-80676858954720319432009-02-17T10:05:00.004-05:002009-02-17T11:14:23.268-05:00

It was a strange one. Not so much Hallmark as Futureshock. My brother, epic sci-fi fan, concept artist extraordinaire, and webcomic artist got married. Ordinary enough right? Nope. He lives California while most of our family is on the East Coast, so he webcast his wedding so we could all attend. My parents must have been freeking out at the technology.Here are a few non Hallmark Valentines.

Matt Zugale: Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09491830420813696351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317460050760660048.post-83265043435468449322009-02-17T09:33:00.007-05:002009-02-17T10:03:34.607-05:00

Not putting pants on until the afternoon and being grungy, hanging out with my girlfriend, her illustration and help looking at my photographs. It's nice to have our little artists community without ever leaving home. Of course if we went out in to the world, Brooklyn and Manhattan aren't the worst places to see artwork.One of my favorite artists from Brooklyn is Chris Oh. Check out his work and

Matt Zugale: Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09491830420813696351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317460050760660048.post-70173566163661048892009-01-19T16:45:00.025-05:002009-01-19T17:49:05.465-05:00

To a degree, referencing your own work is good. It's important to know where your work comes from through your process, though being inspired by others is quite helpful. I find, looking through my older work, (ah, film where are you in my life?) themes and styles that show up currently. Shallow focus, layering, centered images, and deep rich colors are part of the language of my photography. That

Matt Zugale: Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09491830420813696351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317460050760660048.post-11400016440776501562009-01-07T12:32:00.010-05:002009-01-07T19:07:55.983-05:00

It feels like I'm not getting anything done today. I've felt like that for a few weeks it seems. Of course the industry hibernates in December and some of January, so things slow down. That's fine, but when personal projects don't come together, that's when I worry. I'm in the process of getting some promo stuff together (print and email), changing my website's color scheme, etc. but it feels

Matt Zugale: Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09491830420813696351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317460050760660048.post-40684731829655812832008-12-01T12:13:00.016-05:002008-12-01T17:05:29.620-05:00

I'm not the first or the last person in the world to use a Holga, cell phone or bad lenses. Making images with low tech, low quality or unpredictable materials is freeing of the technical aspect of photography. I don't know if I'd ever use the images in my portfolio, but I will use them loosen up even more, to experiment and to have fun. It's nice to not take photography so seriously

Matt Zugale: Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09491830420813696351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317460050760660048.post-36228223016749274642008-11-22T10:21:00.004-05:002008-11-22T10:28:39.750-05:00

Over the past few years, I've found my self photographing various theater companies. I'm not a theater guy by any stretch of the imagination, but these projects have allowed me to shoot in two ways: available light "photojournalism", and lit setups. I've put a theater section up on my website, finally, to show some of this work

Matt Zugale: Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09491830420813696351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317460050760660048.post-15024498670662551782008-11-18T09:22:00.006-05:002008-11-24T00:18:24.499-05:00

Ordinarily, I don't do a lot of lighting, but over the last few years I've been experimenting with some techniques. I'm finding that when I shoot on the street, I enjoy it a lot, but I do it naturally as if it were wired in. Lighting for me is more of a mental challenge, with pre-visualization and implementation. These shots are for a burlesque troop in NYC called the Dilletaunts who are

Matt Zugale: Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09491830420813696351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317460050760660048.post-19796316409170413142008-11-04T12:43:00.006-05:002008-11-05T03:03:04.207-05:00

So I did it. I voted again. Last time it felt good, and I was confident. I felt like I was making a difference, and 24 hours later I felt completely dejected. I had no idea how HE won again.This year it's different. I'm nervous. Even if the guy I voted for wins, our country will have another difficult four years. Will the toxicity of the campaign follow whomever wins through his presidency? Will

Matt Zugale: Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09491830420813696351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317460050760660048.post-56050954131299539692008-11-02T14:20:00.007-05:002008-11-03T15:25:36.720-05:00

Something new... Nothing to do with the Misfits.With a wig and some makeup you're a new person for the night. There's something nice about how stark this shot is. It's not for the portfolio, but it's not too far from where I want my commercial work to go: simple, un-cluttered, and direct...Matt

Matt Zugale: Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09491830420813696351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317460050760660048.post-61204550396335045562008-10-30T14:00:00.006-04:002008-11-02T19:17:33.581-05:00

I'll start this blog off with something old (2000 maybe), very old in the life of my young career. Seasonally appropriate I think.Shot on black and white film, with a Nikon f100, 28mm lens with some bounce fill. These days I shoot mostly digital, color and with a 50mm. Film has an innate, tangible quality (Tri-X; grainy, high contrast) that can, but doesn't necessarily need to be manipulated

Matt Zugale: Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09491830420813696351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2317460050760660048.post-91431076480431124462008-10-29T13:47:00.014-04:002008-11-02T19:16:55.443-05:00

Cameras are complex machines or simple boxes, lenses are glass and metal irises, film is chemistry, and digital sensors are light recording technology.Your eye reacts to light, movement, and the frame of the machine. Your mind arranges the elements.As a professional photographer, I combine these mechanical and organic elements into highly personal imagery. This blog is intended to be a work in

Matt Zugale: Photographyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09491830420813696351noreply@blogger.com0