Today we’d like to introduce you to Matthew Brown.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
My artistic journey began much later than I imagine many artists’ journeys did; my assumption is that most people felt drawn to photography, art, etc. early on in their lives but I never considered myself a “creative” until the last few years, picking up photography to help my wife, Lindsey, out as she began her own business. Over time I took on a little more responsibility, going from just assisting her in small ways to actually taking photos alongside her to eventually lead shooting for various shoots (which was very intimidating to me, at the time). She showed me everything, and I tried my best to see things how she did when taking photos of a couple or a wedding day, and eventually, my confidence grew and grew. One major catalyst in my artistic journey was the birth of our son; due to Lindsey’s pregnancy, she needed to rest and be home more often which forced me to step up a bit to compensate while she was unable to shoot as frequently. I was very nervous my first few weddings on my own but looking back it was important to force me to learn how to shoot independently, and in turn, I’ve become my own photographer and grown a lot since then, rarely getting nervous before walking into a wedding or a shoot.
Please tell us about your art.
I could tell you I take photos, and I do, but my true talent is distracting people from the fact that I have a camera in my hands and capturing them as they are. I do this through making them feel comfortable, encouraging them throughout the shoot, saying ridiculous things and making over-the-top jokes, and slowly but surely this etches away the fear that many have while taking photos. So the art that I make is just capturing the way that you look at your loved one, not the way that you look uncomfortably at a camera. I do this because I think it’s important that people remember these moments and expressions and feelings because that’s who they really are beyond the more contrived “look here and smile” type photos. I hope that people take away a feeling of authenticity, confidence, and comfort.
Choosing a creative or artistic path comes with many financial challenges. Any advice for those struggling to focus on their artwork due to financial concerns?
We’re pretty thankful to say that we haven’t hit many financial challenges with this business, which we know is crazy. That’s not to say we haven’t had our own financial issues for other reasons, just that our photography business has been pretty steady throughout its brief life. I always expect it to start to slow down or dwindle, but people keep getting married and asking us to photograph them and typically if we’re available, we’re down. It’s crazy how it’s all worked out, but I know this can’t last forever so when those lulls come, my advice would be to adapt (don’t just stick it out with the same thing you’re doing) and press in harder because there has to be a reason something’s not right. I’d spend all my focus on figuring it out and changing because the culture of photography is always changing a little bit over time.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
People can see my work at my and my wife’s website, www.localembers.com, or our Instagram page, www.instagram.com/localembers. That’s where we post the majority of our content. People can support our work by following us, liking our posts, sharing our name and photos with others in need of a photographer, and by hiring us to take photos of them! Leave us reviews on our websites (just Google “Local Embers & Co.” and they’ll all come up) and tell the world that we’re amazing. And mean it. We’d appreciate it.
Contact Info:
- Address: Denton, TX
- Website: www.localembers.com
- Phone: 214-794-7149
- Email: info@localembers.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/localembers
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/localembers
- Other: www.localembers.com
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