With his answer to our first question alone, you can tell why Matt Beard is the photographer most any production company, client, and celeb would not mind having by their side. Making sure every image is picture perfect is not only a job to Beard, but a passion. From working with Maroon 5 to Cirque du Soleil, his range of artistic approach spans across Los Angeles and beyond.
Q: What has been your favorite (past or present) project worked on and why?
A: I really can’t name any one project that stands out as my all time “favorite” since there seems to be something special and memorable in pretty much every project I get to be a part of. From somehow ending up shooting at Kobe Bryant’s and Jon Cryer’s weddings, or spending the day working with Ozzy Osbourne or Maroon 5. From being asked to shoot some of the most intimate family moments in famous celebrities lives, or just getting my own kids to actually sit still for me to shoot them. Everything from doing huge budget shoots for big Bank Clients and Fortune 500 Corporations, to doing shoots for charities and non-profits like the Sesame (Street) Foundation or Levitt Pavilions…every project holds a special place in my heart and memory.
Q: What is the one thing you wish you knew when you first started work as a photographer?
A: The business side of it all. The business licenses needed, the insurances required, the rates and usages, all of that. And I would have definitely shot and submitted much more stock photos.
Q: How has the industry changed now compared to when you first started?
A: More work, less pay.
Q: Whose work are you most influenced/inspired by? Why?
A: The one photographer that always comes back to my mind, every day, is Phillip Dixon. The way he would approach both his work and his life was a big inspiration to me while I was working with him, and still continue to this day.
He had a few (actually many) sayings that stick with me.
**"Follow the light." **
**"Life should be about quality, not quantity." **
**"I just want to work in my garden." **
**"Try following the cat around for a day, and do what he does." **
**"Put your light meter away, I don’t use those…my light meter is right here (points to his head)". **
He was, and still is, an absolute master of lighting and printing…and the way he composes his shots is simple genius at work. Sometimes we’d shoot a big job…he’d shoot 3 frames on film, have lunch, and we’d be done for the day…and it would look amazing. He knew what he was doing from beginning to end, and he always got it. I’ve never seen him take a “bad” photo.
Q: Do you have a camera you tend to favor when capturing shots? Which is it & why do you like it so much?
A: For film, I used to love shooting 4x5 cameras…and the Fuji 6x9. I loved the play with focus, fall-off and bellows & lens board manipulation.
For digital, there’s two cameras I really like working with…the Canon 5dMark3 and the EOS 1DC. If the 1DC only had the same pixel count as the 5DMk3, that would be the only one.
These Canons have been continuously performing to my expectations with speed, low light capability, and ease of use. The image quality is great, and I get the shots I need.
Q: You have quite an impressive list of clients. How were you able to connect and land such great gigs with companies such as Cirque, Lucky Brand, Apple iTunes, NIKE and more?
A: Honestly, the majority of my jobs come from word-of-mouth, or chance encounters. Everyone is connected in some way, and a good referral or word-of-mouth recommendation from a trusted colleague…will get you in the door faster than any portfolio.
I’ve heard so many horror stories of photographers losing clients over petty arguments, or allowing their own ego to cost them their jobs. It’s like they forget that everyone in this business is connected in one way or another, and people talk to each other. As a professional photographer, I believe you should really enjoy what you do for a living, or find another profession that better suits your personality and skill.
For me, it’s a dream job come true, and I enjoy every minute of it.
I haven’t sent my printed portfolio out in years. In fact, I’ve just been printing coffee table style books, and letting the clients keep them. My website is much easier to maintain and update and reach a global audience for a fraction of the cost of sending a portfolio out.
Q: What is the most challenging part of shooting Cirque du Soleil, and how are you able to capture some of the more challenging shots?
**A: **There are a few challenges when shooting Cirque…in fact Fstoppers just ran full story about it here: http://fstoppers.com/fstoppers-exclusive-shooting-cirque-du-soleil-matt-beard
In a nutshell, the scheduling, the timing, and the swiftness in getting the shots are the most challenging aspects…the rest is fun.
Q: Any cool projects coming up soon that you’d like to share with us?
A: I just finished working on a very cool book project for Daniel Simon
Daniel is a futuristic vehicle designer (He created vehicles for the TRON and the Avengers Movies), and his work is unreal- both literally and figuratively. I worked in collaboration with another brilliant young photographer, Jere Hietala, and we shot real people for Daniel to composite into the CGI scenes for his new book. I’m really excited to see that in print!
You can keep up with Matt via:
https://www.facebook.com/MattBeardPhotography
http://twitter.com/mattbeardphoto
http://www.linkedin.com/in/mattbeardphoto
www.mattbeardphoto.blogspot.com
http://www.productionhub.com/directory/view.aspx?item=252267
