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Matt

@invalidcaptcha

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Project Management, Creative Services @dept_global

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Kate (2026), or “Imperfect, and True. At the same time.”

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“The history of photography could be [seen] as the struggle between two different [goals]: beautification… and truth-telling...” - from ‘On Photography’ by Susan Sontag (1977)

The more I’ve spent time in Seattle the more I feel I’m a mix of those who I feel “at home” around. Being around Kate brings out a dormant side of me in a subconscious attempt to match her energy; like a moth to a flame, I feel drawn to the bright and vibrant personality many know her by. A moth to a skull of flames, to be exact.

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Just when I thought I’d gotten the perfect shot of Kate, she made me rethink the entire session with one question.

“You’ve seen my flame tee right?!” Kate bolted from her couch, me laughing as I heard her rummaging through her closet to change. “Uh…No!!!!!?????”

Beaming with pride, she emerged with a black oversized shirt, a skull on fire grinning as wide as the one on her face. It was something I’d never expected her to wear, but then again I was in uncharted waters, shooting her “at home” for the first time. Somehow, it was both unexpected and also just what Kate WOULD be wearing at home.

Being around Kate feels like co-creating a special moment between you and her in real-time. It’s when I’m around her I feel permission to let loose as she naturally does when we’re out somewhere dancing or drinking with our other Seattle friends. I think it’s through her that others are allowed that same opportunity to embrace their truth, whatever it may be.

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“That white tank top is NOT something I’d wear when I’m chilling at home…but this t-shirt… is exactly me”.

I always want my “at home” portraits to be as truthful (no tidying, in a place they spend the most time in) AND beautiful as possible (Sontag was right!), and with this, truth prevailed. While it isn’t as perfect and beautiful as her in a white tank top reading a cookbook, it is the result of the co-creation between Kate and I, of the connection we share, and my continued journey of pursuing truth as a photographer with those I feel “at home” with. Imperfect, and true. At the same time. by @invalidcaptcha

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9 days ago

Horizontal memories from New York in May #ricohgriii #i̇phone17 taken in New York, New York by @invalidcaptcha

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a month ago

Daydreaming about my next bug tattoo, the tarantula hawk wasp #pilotg2 by @invalidcaptcha

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a month ago

Another year older surrounded by my favorite people thanks for making 30 go by so fast I’m one year closer to #unc let’s slow it down a little this year maybe? I’m terrified fr haha by @invalidcaptcha

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3 months ago

Vertical memories from New York in May #pacitaabad #visvim #whenidothatsouljaboyileantotheleftthencrankthatthangnowYOUUUU taken in Hotel 50 Bowery NYC by @invalidcaptcha

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3 months ago

Some people on the subway from a 2024 sketchbook by @invalidcaptcha

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3 months ago

“So what’s the idea behind this portrait series again?”

Elliot and I were walking to his home when it hit me - I hadn’t explained my “at home” portrait series to someone in a long time. My focus had shifted as priorities changed in the last 8 months, project managing at a new agency for the biggest client I’d ever worked with, and this New York trip was my first vacation since then. I recalled a Vince Staples interview as Elliot opened the door to his building: “so he’s asked if he cooks for his homies and Vince goes ‘Who do you think I am? You think people come over to my place? Why do you need to know where I live?’ When I first saw that clip, I was a very private, reserved person, and I saw where Vince was coming from - but of course he and I have very different reasons for being that way”

My love for shooting people “at home” came partly from knowing it was the opposite of commercial work I was doing with Ralph, a world Elliot is all too familiar with. It was natural and organic vs. art-directed and neat, and it reflected my own private nature as a person.

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“I’m rarely featured in anything so I’m excited to be part of this!”

When I shoot a home portrait there’s always small remnants of the shoot that stay with me - how the light looked at a certain time, me wondering how safe it is to stand on the kitchen counter to get the right angle, random topics like relationships and square footage and upcoming plans for the evening. For Elliot’s portrait, it was him sharing his excitement to be featured in a series, and for me to feature him in it. Maybe it’s cause our shared background in the commercial marketing world means we know what it takes for someone to be featured in a product campaign, but that’s for the sake of business. Me featuring him in this series on feeling “at home” around certain people, and shooting them “at home”, is just me expressing myself in a layered, word-play way, for the sake of self-discovery, love, and gratitude for who I feature in this series. Cause at the end of the day I can still be that private, reserved person.

And through my art, I’ve been able to come out of my shell, one portrait at a time. taken in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn by @invalidcaptcha

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4 months ago

From Vancouver you a 🐝🌊 babyyyyyyyyyyyy taken in Vancouver, B.C., Canada by @invalidcaptcha

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4 months ago

Train sketches of the Gel Teremoa II on the way to Vancouver in April. Understanding design shape/language by dissecting the shoe into smaller pieces is my favorite part about shoe sketching by @invalidcaptcha

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4 months ago

“All I can think about is marble.”

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Living alone is something I hope everyone gets to experience at least once in their life. You have the freedom to put your couch or TV or bedframe anywhere you want and see if that shelf works for you there or if you want to put a lamp in a different corner. There’s few things as inspiring as the idea of building your surroundings for yourself, just raw and pure and 100% you.

Living alone can feel like chipping away at marble, deliberate and intentional and at a pace that’s comfortable for you. Last month, I got to document Brian chipping away at the marble of his new “home” in Vancouver.

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I told Ben that talking to someone was both of you slowly revealing pieces of yourself to each other like slabs of marble. Working on these portrait write-ups feels the same way, picking a theme and whittling away at the story behind it at my own pace.

It’s the freedom and balance in my conversations with Brian that reminds me of that same sensation of chipping away at marble.

One day we’ll be discussing vocal levels in Drake’s latest album, the next day we’re geeking out over music video art direction. Sometimes it’s the success we’re experiencing with newly appointed job titles, how we both love Undercover, the ways in which the universe and destiny and fate works, or how we’re both Cancers.

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The beauty of marble is deciding when you’re done carving out what you were envisioning in the beginning. You Feel when you can put the chisel and hammer down which is what Brian and I usually do with our conversations. Often unplanned, we’ll drop off the earth for a few days before picking up our convo from where we left off, or starting an entirely new one. As you’re reading this, you’re seeing the 9th consecutive day of me writing this out, almost unsure of how to describe my relationship with Brian (because it’s almost indescribable) or how to end this writeup.

But like my neverending friendship with him, maybe there is no proper ending. There’s just this portrait to remember our time in his new “home” together, a digital slab of marble to commemorate our friendship. taken in Vancouver, British Columbia by @invalidcaptcha

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4 months ago

Eating good I had to get my weight up 🫃 taken in Seattle, Washington by @invalidcaptcha

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5 months ago

From coloring shoes to colored callsheets (2025)

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We were starting our 5th game of pool when Teo asked me what it took for me to be happy at work.

The rack of colors broke as I shot the white cue ball down the table, telling him I was happiest when I helped others be their most creative. I had my own way of organizing info and making things painfully obvious, without any risk for confusion, so that others could focus on getting the right shot or the right lighting or the right frame in the right amount of time.

Being a video producer meant I took pride in my creativity helping others navigate crucial information, like this callsheet from the third part of the Footlocker x On campaign Ralph and I worked on. My time as a producer helped me realize I’m my truest self when my creativity is trusted, and in return everyone else’s creativity increases. Positive feedback loop. Win win.

I’m my happiest when I help others win. by @invalidcaptcha

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6 months ago