Even though most of my commissioned work lately has been video, I've been itching to get back into the studio and work on some portraits. Something I've noticed that is lacking in my book has been female portraits, so I'm starting to line up some shoots to change that. This will hopefully be the first of many more to come.
A quick look from last night's shoot with our wonderful friend, Angeline. More to come as soon as the edit is done!
Angeline / Chicago, IL / July 2015
Been busy lately with a lot of video work, so I put together a quick reel showing off my corporate video chops. Enjoy!
I recently had the honor of being interviewed by Bill Ramsey of the IntrepidNow Photography podcast. I had a fun time talking more about some of the projects I've been working on, as well as how I approach the work I do. Check it out by following the link below, and thanks for listening!
http://www.intrepidnow.com/lifestyle/15-matt-treager-documentary-photographer/
Back in June of 2014, Sacha and I were finishing up our 10 weeks of travel in New Delhi, India. And heatwave (+110℉ temps) be damned, I was determined to get out of our comfy A/C'd hotel and see the city. So I set out to the Nizamuddin District to view the tomb/shrine of the famous Sufi saint, Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya. What I didn't expect to find was a 700+ year-old spring-fed pool right next to the shrine. With a crowd of locals coming to bath in the holy waters (and escape the blazing heat), I worked my way into the baoli (pool) area, and spent the better part of an afternoon there taking photos.
You can check out the full gallery here: http://matttreager.com/nizamuddin-baoli/
A few photos that won't make the cut for the final edit. These are from following around Brian Haugen as he went about his day on his farm in New Town, ND.
I'm finally finding some time to put a few personal projects to bed. I've been sitting on these pictures from the Bakken for almost 3 years now... it's about time I get them out the door.
A quick outtake from an update to my project People of the Bakken, about the lives of the people living in the thick of one of the largest domestic oil booms in America. In the photo above, Brian Haugen's truck is pulled off to the side of the road, waiting for me to finish taking some photos. He and his wife Margie were instrumental in making this project happen, and showed me so much hospitality and warmth. I remember turning around to head back to the warmth of the truck, and was taken with the way it looked so solitary on the deserted road. It won't make the final cut, but wanted to share anyways. More updates to come (I promise for reals this time...)
Some photos from a recent protest/rally on the 5th of November (hence the Guy Fawkes masks, among other masks). I was downtown for the morning and stumbled upon these guys and gals protesting in the Federal Plaza. I grabbed my camera from my bag and started documenting the group, following them around and speaking with them for a few hours. The group was part of the "Million Mask March" that took place nationwide on November 5th, protesting government corruption, NSA spying, police brutality, and several other current event issues. And while I don't agree with everything they were saying, it was good to see people exercising their first amendment rights and speaking up for what they believe in.
More photos from the morning can be found in a gallery here: http://matttreager.com/million-mask-march-chicago/
I'm in the process of updating my website with photos from our travels this summer. It's about time really... Anyways, this one is from Chennai, India, driving back from an evening out. More stuff rolling out real soon!
Chennai, India / May 2014
I'm near finished editing through the almost 8,000 photos I took while traveling around SE Asia and India. In the meantime, I thought I'd make another post to continue my Well Met photo project, jumping ahead a few cities to Jaipur. Below are some photos from our visit to the Galta Monkey Temple complex outside of Jaipur in Rajasthan, India. There were tons of rhesus macaque monkeys flying around, trying to steal our bags and snacks, but we were able to visit with some of the local sadhus, pilgrims, and priests and spend an afternoon wandering around the mostly deserted temple grounds (hooray for off-season touring!) The temple's main attractions are the spring-fed pools, which are rather auspicious to bath in for Hindu pilgrims that visit.
Vijay / Galtaji - Jaipur, India / May 2014
Vijay is a temple priest in the Hanuman (Indian monkey god) temple at Galta. He came to the temple about 3 years ago from his home in Uttar Pradesh, and had just turned 18. As we walked around the temple grounds, he pointed to all of the different relics and Hindu gods, and what each one stood for. He also took me down into the depths of the temple to bless me with "good luck" in front of the Hanuman statue. I tried to politely decline, saying that I had no money for a donation, but he insisted anyways. After a small bit of chanting and a new string bracelet, I was freshly imbued with some luck, and we walked back up to the entrance of the temple. As we walked, I asked him how long he wanted to stay in the temple, seeing as how many of the priests come from a life outside of religion and return to it after a stay in the temple. He said that has no immediate plans to leave the temple, and in his limited English told me that he enjoys living the simple life of a priest. I asked him what advice he had about life, and he pragmatically responded, "Live life as you like."
Duba / Jaipur, India / May 2014
Duba, another priest who is living with Vijay in the temple, spoke almost no English, with the exception of "Hello, sir. Please visit my temple!" But despite our lack of spoken communication, we were still able to connect through some miming and smiles. Like Vijay, Duba hails from the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, and had been living in the temple for over 12 years (from what I could gather).
Vijay, searching for signal. / Jaipur, India / May 2014
As far as I could tell, the priests were for the most part, completely detached from the material world, living their lives as ascetics. But one thing they all seemed to posses was a cellphone that connected them (rather poorly) to the internet. So in addition to making some new acquaintances, I also had the pleasure of setting up Duba's Facebook profile, since the sign up page required more English and technical know-how than they possessed.
Setting up Facebook mobile for Duba (left), and connecting him to the wonderful world of social media. / Jaipur, India / May 2014
As the wind started to pick up and a storm approached, it was time for Sacha and I to head back to the safety of our hotel, and I couldn't help but think I had just walked off the set of an Indiana Jones movie.
Flying macaques / Jaipur, India / May 2014
Sacha reflecting on the lower pool. / Jaipur, India / May 2014
A snapshot from our recent move/road-trip to Chicago. Oh yeah, by the way, moving to Chicago. More details perhaps later on...
Badlands NP / South Dakota / August, 2014