This has been a shot I have wanted to create for a long time.  Being a fan of TV shows like The Walking Dead and Doomsday Preppers, I thought it would be cool to create a portrait of a survivor of the end of the world. Since we haven’t gotten to the end of the world yet, creating a composite was the only way to pull off the vision I had for this image.  I used much of the same techniques that I had blogged about before in my motorcycle composite post.  I gathered up some props, shot my backgrounds, and finally shot the portrait and put it all together. Thanks for looking.

 

Matt

This past Saturday the UW-Green Bay Phoenix mens basketball team rolled over Cleveland St., 77-50, winning their 7th home game in a row.  I had the pleasure of shooting the game for the UW-Green Bay sports information department.  Here are some of my favorite shots from the game.  Thanks again for looking.

Matt

 

It’s always cool when you randomly see photos you shot being used in advertisements out in the world.  I’ve seen images I shot commercially for clients used in various places but I had not seen many of my NFL football photos being used in anything other than editorial publications. Last year during a preseason Packer game I was congratulated by a fellow photographer for a photo I shot of Clay Matthews that was being used in an ad campaign for Verizon.  Truth be told I had not known that an image I shot was being used in a Verizon ad until that photographer told me.  Shortly after that I started to see the ad being used in various locations.  It was very cool and rewarding to see your images that you worked hard to get being used on such a big stage.

A similar surprise came to me this past fall as I was shopping with my family at our local grocery store. Just as I was grabbing a loaf of bread off the shelf I hear my wife say, “hey is that your photo?”  Turing around to see what the heck she was talking about, I noticed a Gatorade ad on a display with a picture I had taken from a Packer game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  Again it was a pleasant surprise to see.

Seeing your work being used definitely helps to motivate you especially when you question your existence as a photographer.  It helps to reinforce that what you do is, at some level, appreciated and it pushes you to work harder and get better in hopes that down the road, seeing your work out in the world will be a more common occurrence.

Matt

 

 

 

 

This past Saturday the Packers took on the Vikings in a Wild Card playoff game at Lambeau Field.  I think everyone going into this game thought it would be a tough, very evenly matched game since the week before the Vikings beat the Packers by a field goal. As it turned out, the Packers had a pretty easy time rolling over the Vikings in the first round of the playoffs.  Although the Packers didn’t play perfect football, they managed to play well enough to advance on to San Francisco to play the 49ers this Saturday.  Let’s hope they keep their winning streak going all the way to the Superbowl.  Here are some of my favorite shots.  Thanks for looking.

Matt

 

Green Bay Packers inside linebacker A.J. Hawk.

 

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Joe Webb passes against the Green Bay Packers.

 

Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson.

 

Green Bay Packers running back DuJuan Harris scores a touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings.

 

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Joe Webb is hit while scrambling with the ball by Green Bay Packers defensive end C.J. Wilson.

 

Green Bay Packers wide receiver James Jones is hit after making a catch by Minnesota Vikings free safety Harrison Smith.

 

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Greg Jennings.

 

Green Bay Packers fullback John Kuhn rushes for a touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings.

 

Green Bay Packers fullback John Kuhn spikes the ball after scoring a touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings.

 

Green Bay Packers fullback John Kuhn spikes the ball after scoring a touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings.

 

Green Bay Packers fullback John Kuhn performs a Lambeau leap after scoring a touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings.

 

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jarius Wright stretches for extra yards while being hit by Green Bay Packers free safety M.D. Jennings.

 

Green Bay Packers fullback John Kuhn scores a touchdown after being hit by Minnesota Vikings strong safety Jamarca Sanford.

 

Green Bay Packers fullback John Kuhn yells after scoring a touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings.

 

Green Bay Packers outside linebacker Clay Matthews hits Minnesota Vikings quarterback Joe Webb after throwing a pass.

For those of you keeping tabs on this blog, you may have noticed that I didn’t post any photos from the Packers vs Lions Sunday Night Football game a few weeks back.  Well it turns out I was at the game, but I wasn’t there shooting the game.  About a week before the game I got a call from an entertainment photo agency out of LA called Invision.  The folks at Invision had been asked to hire a photographer to tag along with and shoot Larry The Cable Guy that Sunday before the game in Green Bay.  Larry is traveling around the country to different venues for Prilosec to promote the new Wildberry flavor of Prilosec OTC.  At each venue he shoots a quick video spot for a webisode on the internet and hangs out with folks tailgating.  He usually teams up with an area celebrity each place he stops.  This time around he was teamed up with Packer great Gilbert Brown.  The two hung out in the parking lot of Brett Favre’s Steak House and did their thing.  Both guys were very cool to work with.  About an hour before the start of the game, we went over to Lambeau so Larry could take a walk down around the field prior to kickoff.  Needles to say, the whole experience was cool to be a part of.  Thanks to all the folks at Invision, MSL Group out of New York and Prilosec.  Oh, and if you are wondering, Dan Whitney (aka Larry the Cable Guy) is very down to earth, hard working, professional and even behind closed doors is funny has hell.

Here are some quick snaps from the night, Thanks for looking.

Matt

Frequent heartburn sufferer and comedian Larry the Cable Guy shows off his signature sleeveless shirt to fans at a  tailgate party in Green Bay to promote new Prilosec OTC Wildberry.

Frequent heartburn sufferer and comedian Larry the Cable Guy, left, and former nose tackle Gilbert Brown, right, tailgate with fans in Green Bay to promote new Prilosec OTC Wildberry.

Frequent heartburn sufferer and comedian Larry the Cable Guy, left, and former nose tackle Gilbert Brown, right, tailgate with fans in Green Bay to promote new Prilosec OTC Wildberry.

Frequent heartburn sufferer and comedian Larry the Cable Guy  tailgates with fans in Green Bay to promote new Prilosec OTC Wildberry.

Frequent heartburn sufferer and comedian Larry the Cable Guy, right, tailgates with fans in Green Bay to promote new Prilosec OTC Wildberry.

Larry the Cable Guy between takes of the video shoot.

Frequent heartburn sufferer and comedian Larry the Cable Guy throws promotional materials to fans in Green Bay to promote new Prilosec OTC Wildberry.

Frequent heartburn sufferer and comedian Larry the Cable Guy, left, and former nose tackle Gilbert Brown, right, tailgate with fans in Green Bay to promote new Prilosec OTC Wildberry.

Frequent heartburn sufferer and comedian Larry the Cable Guy jokes around with cheerleaders in Green Bay while promoting new Prilosec OTC Wildberry.

Frequent heartburn sufferer and comedian Larry the Cable Guy greets a fan in Green Bay while promoting new Prilosec OTC Wildberry .

 

Frequent heartburn sufferer and comedian Larry the Cable Guy energizes the crowd prior to kickoff in Green Bay while promoting new Prilosec OTC Wildberry.

 

Frequent heartburn sufferer and comedian Larry the Cable Guy, right, shakes hands with Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, left, while in Green Bay to promote new Prilosec OTC Wildberry.

Technical Note:  Boys and girls, this is what happens when you aren’t paying attention and move from a brightly lit area to a dimly lit area and don’t change the settings on your camera to compensate for the new environment.  Thankfully I had a little fill flash working to help create a little motion freeze to a great spontaneous moment that was almost lost due to stupidity . Not great but salvageable.