Logan Willis - Weekly Artist Post 3

Matty Smith

1. Matty Smith is an ocean and wildlife photographer from New South Wales Australia. He focuses on three main techniques when creating his work. He focuses on using over, over/under, and under (water) techniques. He uses bright colors and in some photos it looks like he does use a flash as the lighting seems very dark. He also focuses on using nature and wildlife as his subjects throughout his work and also capturing things that are naturally occurring such as the waves, coral life, and the ocean's ecosystem.
2. Matty's main themes I think are capturing things happening in nature that most of us wouldn't normally be able to see or can see but aren't enjoying. For example, the 3rd and 4th picture, I personally would most likely not be able to see as I'm afraid of jellyfish and I don't' like to be underneath a wave when it's crashing over top of me. I think this is when Matty's ability and willingness to take risks comes into play because he took a huge risk to come out of his comfort zone by being that close to a jellyfish like that and by being in that position under the way while it's crashing. I really liked the views he chose to use because they are featuring still life and possible moving objects.
3. I felt really moved by Matty Smith's work. His experiences somewhat related to mine as I went to Australia years ago as a younger child. I feel it brought me back to those fun, carefree days in life when I was a child and I didn't see life so harshly. I think these pieces brought out the fun in me even when the lighting was dark or when the subject matter may have seemed normal. I really enjoyed the photo of the wave and the scuba diver photos as they were taken from his "under" angle as opposed to the others using his "over/under" technique. These photos made me feel more appreciation for nature and the things that are naturally occurring that I tend to overlook day to day or being taken out of my comfort zone.