So?

So what? yeah its been a while, what can I say? My creativity is like the ocean, it ebbs and flows without any regard to its surroundings or its effects.

However the winter is upon us, and the changing of seasons is an incredible inspiration for the eye candy we all love. what am I saying? expect more.

real life

my grandmother died, and i've been in Kentucky for the funeral, hence the lack of updates. everyone has been so solemn, and it was my last grandparent, so I've not felt the desire to take any pictures. I've been thinking quite a bit. Photography is my profession, music is my hobby. it used to be the other way around, so I've been spending some time on my music. Taken up the mandolin, and have gotten rather good at it. Once I'm back in Washington I'll return to the photography studies, but for now I just don't want to document this part of my life.

Under Construction!

ok, today is the big day. we're wrapping up work on my DIY softbox, my beauty dish is completed, and i've got an array of snoots, floodlights, and reflectors ready to go! it's been an absolute blast delving into the world of controlled lighting. Talking with Christine Taylor has really given me a lot of insight about what i've been missing out on, artistically. Seeing what people are capable of doing, and what falls under the banner of "art" and its role in our world has just filled me back up.

See, something happened, I dont know what, but I lost my creativity. I'll blame the military, but really i think i just grew older and forgot about art. everything became "paying the bills" and although my epiphane directed me towards photography, it sort of kept me thinking of the ubiquitous wedding/event/senior pictures photographer, in the sake of keeping a roof over my head. But the longer i get away from that lifestyle, and the more i see what is possible with a camera, the more i am beginning to remember creativity.

And not just emulating the stuff I see, either, which is something I had become paranoid about. But genuinely trying to express a creative vision as i see it to other people.

This is a very exciting time for me. It's like, all these things I had built up around myself are crumbling, and all that is left is me, my relationships, and photography.

God that sounds corny.

Hats

So I've been thinking, because thats all I do, and since a quick conversation with a friend on flickr (NY based fashion/surrealist/photojournalist Christine Taylor http://www.happyplayground.com/ ) who has run the gamut of photo hats, starting as photojournalist to music photographer, then on to NY and some amazing fashion shoots. , it's got me thinking about what hat I want to wear. At first, I wanted to be a photojournalist, going to warzones and showing how people survive such things. Then I began shifting over towards wedding photography, because it seemed safer, financially. Now I feel myself being pulled more towards surrealistic shots, starting with my recent nocturnal images. I imagine this will change a thousand more times, as thats how I work. I hope while I'm going to school, I'll get a chance to sort of focus my plans a bit, perhaps see which hat fits me best.

I think one of the reasons I still lean towards journalistic thoughts is simply due to my years in the military. I've seen things that the vast majority of people will never see. I've been strapped to the bow of a lifeboat during an intense storm. I've provided relief in a hurricane. I've given CPR to a young boy while his father, a doctor, stood by frozen in terror. I've had a gun pointed at me by a sun-crazed lunatic. And everytime, I never had a camera with me.

I am married to probably the best person on the earth. I couldn't sleep until about 6:30am, so she let me sleep in until late. while I was passed out, her and her mom went on a yard sale run, and came back with a tripod, an Albinar 90-MDT-Z Thyristor flash in nearly new condition, and a flood light! Who among you can claim such a thing?! Who among you dare to call those in your life even comparable to that? As if that weren't enough, we then re-arranged the entire room to make a sort of 'shrine' to my photo gear where I can keep all my stuff easy access and not strewn about the apartment.

It does kinda suck that now i need to buy a set of remote flash triggers. ah well.

Starlit Factory

Starlit Factory
Originally uploaded by Matthew Shelley

This photo has gotten a ton of attention. Recently I found the works of "Lost America" on flickr, and long exposure techniques. I submitted it to as many groups on flickr as I could, and it's gotten a lot of posts. Yeah, am I really that shallow that I like to get ratings and comments from faceless meaningless flickr members? you bet your ass I am.

The Ubiquitous First Post

Well, here we are. its 4:29 a.m. and I've had insomnia for a month. I'm the kind of guy who obsess over things. If I were to wax poetic I'd go so far as to say I'm an impassioned individual. and that's cool too.

I guess this is where I tell you about me. Ever hear of the Coast Guard? Yeah, it's the 5th branch of the U.S. Military. About 2 months ago, I was honorably discharged from the Guard after 6 years. This is where I'm supposed to say it was hell and I hated it, which is true, but why bother. What I WILL say is that I don't know why I joined. I was the kind of kid in high school who could go on and on about things I didn't want to do, but would never come up with anything I DID want to do. So after a few years of playing my drums, and not really making much money, I joined the guard. Then I got married. Then something happened.

I was always sort of creative. Lots of people liked my drawings, so that must count for something. I never thought my art was very good. But the more and more I wore that blue uniform and the longer I was surrounded by close-minded military types, I could feel my creativity being leeched out. I didn't know what to do. Every time I tried to draw, it looked flat and amateurish, and every idea I had felt lame and unoriginal. Well, at about year 4, I met a strange fellow named Kurt. He was a shutterbug who tried to be more creative than just snapshots of his kids. Well, we talked and talked, and I began taking a few shots here and there, trying to make the images I saw in my head.

My life has not been the same since. I canceled my plans to attend WyoTech after I left the guard. I knew I had to become a photographer, because I had never felt so impassioned about anything!

Ever since then, my life has been consumed with photography. I now live in a small apartment with my wife, waiting to start college next year. Art Institute of Seattle, I'll be going for a BFA in Photography, and the government is paying for it.

Well, I think you get the idea. I am constantly thinking about camera gear, techniques and whatnots, so this seems like as good a time as any to begin a blog about my passion.

Anyways, keep checking in, because I've got a lot to say.