As we said in a post a few weeks ago we wanted to thank Matt for letting us use his Dallas Divide picture on our cards.
You can see more of Matt Kennedy work at his website
Interview:
1. Tell us a little bit about you. What kind of photography do you do?
I’m 29 years old, married and living in Broomfield, CO. I’m a Colorado native, having been born in Aurora and living all my years in the Denver area. I spent a lot of time in the mountains as a kid, where I developed a love for the high country of Colorado. As such, that’s where my photography is focused, in landscape and nature photography.
2. Show us your 3 favorite photos. Please share the equipment and story.
The first of the three shots is a Colorado Columbine from the summer of 2008. This was shot with my Sony Alpha A700 and Minolta 100mm macro. The east end of the Flattops Wilderness was bursting with wildflowers in the second week of July last summer. After my sunrise shoot at Bear Lake was spoiled by high winds and a clear sky, I went hunting the wildflowers. Luckily the wind died down by about 8am and I was able to find a small field of shaded flowers that were blooming. I made this shot in between swatting mosquitoes.
The second shot is from the fall of 2005, back in my film days. It’s a shot of the Sneffels range in the San Juan mountains in southwest Colorado. As I can best recall, I made the image with my Minolta Maxxum 7 SLR, a Minolta 28-85mm lens and was shooting on Velvia 50. The foreground ranchland is the Double RL Ranch, which is owned by Ralph Lauren. Luckily for us, there’s a National Forest Road that bisects his property that one can shoot from.
Lastly, another shot from the San Juans. Taken last fall, this is Dallas Divide which is near the town of Ridgeway. This was shot with my A700 and my Carl Zeiss 16-80mm. I also used a graduated neutral density filter to bring the brightness of the sky down. The location of this shot is actually in a well known pullout on Hwy 62. It gets really crowded in the fall, like many other iconic landscape locations. This day was no exception, with over twenty photographers there with me that morning. My wife was also with me, but she missed the sunrise since she was sleeping in the car.
3. Where are you located?
I live in Broomfield with my wife, Christine, and my cat, Demon. (Something about your proximity to the mountains.)
4. How did you get into photography?
When I was in high school, I took a photography art course. I found that I loved spending hours looking for pictures to take and then sequestering myself in the darkroom to develop my film and make prints. Back in those days, I was using my Dad’s old Minolta X-570 manual camera. After that, I always enjoyed photography but didn’t really have the time or money for it while I was in college. I bought my first autofocus SLR, a Minolta Maxxum 5, in May 2003 to take with me on my honeymoon. That summer, I started my first forays into dedicated landscape photography and haven’t looked back.
5. Describe your style.
I guess my style is to capture the beauty and majesty of Colorado landscapes as best as I’m capable. Just like every other landscape photographer, I’ve always been heavily influenced by the work of Ansel Adams, with his use of light and lines, and I try to emulate his style. Same with the work of Galen Rowell and the amazing skies he always seemed to capture. That usually means very early mornings and late night hikes back in the dark but I love it nonetheless.