Matt Theilen Photography

Since we moved to Washoe Valley in March of 2008,  I’ve been making an effort to make photographs of  this beautiful place for a future exhibit and possible book. It has so much character: a lake, streams, sand dunes, desert, forests, mountains, boulders, ranches, cattle, horses, and I haven’t even begun to photograph on the East side of the lake…

I made these two images on my new Hasselblad camera.  The images were made on Kodak Tmax 100 and Fuji NPC 160.

A quick thought about film and prints:

Film and paper prints are made from organic materials (pretty much) and digital images are “virtual” and don’t really exist anywhere until they are processed onto a tangible object like paper.  As an artist who began making photographs before digital was viable, I have a greater appreciation for what the image looks like on paper than what it looks like on a computer screen…perhaps I’m just old school

Square and Film are In

I’ve been teaching photography at the college level since 2004 and I’ve always wanted to break away from that format and do workshops that have a little more personality and a little less formality. Over my years as a full-time photographer and part time faculty, I’ve been asked if I teach workshops outside the academic setting. So I’m starting this series with a basic seminar that will be an afternoon/evening of photographic mayhem in Washoe Valley just South of Reno and just a bit east of Lake Tahoe. (actual location in the valley will vary depending on weather, and Washoe actually has some great photographic opportunities once you learn to SEE them.) The only requirement is that you have your own digital SLR and want to learn what all those buttons mean and how to use the camera on different modes and why you would choose one setting over another. I’m limiting the enrollment to 15 people so I can give you as much attention as you need and that we’ll all be able to look at each other’s images on my big screen in my home studio and have dinner. (if you haven’t had Brugo’s pizza…it’s awesome)

Here it is: The Basics

2pm to 8ish.

To sign up, use the Contact form at the top of the blog and I’ll send you an email confirmation with all the necessary details and payment instructions.

This workshop is just the beginning, so if you are beyond this, stay tuned for more advanced workshops in the near future! Please email me with any questions.

It occurred to me the other day that I’ve been a photographer for nearly 15 years and much of that time was spent creating actual prints from my negatives/slides. I have a closet full of prints and a cabinet full of negatives that I’ll print “someday.” I’m constantly making new images and printing old ones and figuring out how to make space in that ever-shrinking closet. So what I’ve dreamed up is to have a print auction a few times a year to send off a print to someone who really wants it and maybe the auction price will cover the shipping costs — and if not– oh well, I just like people to have a print if they want one.

The first image: NMA Tree

Print details:

NMA Tree, 2005
Image size = 11 inches x 14 inches on 12×15 inch paper.
Image is signed and is number 9
Printed on Ilford Galerie Fibre Silk Paper

I’ll cut a white window mat for you also–either 16×20 or 20×24 depending on how large you are going to frame it. (all acid-free, archival materials)

Rules for Bidding:

1. Bids start at wherever the first one starts and can go up in whatever increments you see fit. (yes pennies are cool)
2. Use the comment tab to bid and make sure you look at the previous comment to see the current bid. (You can also give me some input on the next image you want to see auctioned and I’ll take it into consideration for the Summer 2010 auction in July/August)
3. Bidding ends: May 1st
4. Print sale amount will be donated to Special Olympics Nevada

Questions? Email me!

Outside the Nevada Museum of Art, when the paint was a bit brighter. (2005) I shot this image after a snowstorm with my 4×5 camera and Fuji Provia 100 film. I drove by and saw the contrast of the snow, tree and red wall and went straight home and grabbed the camera.

So Nolan Preece has been working with these for years and he recently got an article published in Photo Technique and I am totally intrigued by these. I took an 8×10 sheet of glass, used a kerosene tiki torch and coated the glass with the black soot. I then used mineral spirits to create the splotches. One of them was made with a brush filled with the mineral spirits and using the Jackson Pollock technique, I dripped and splattered it on. The other was more of a pour. I then scanned them on my Epson V750. I’m thinking of printing photographs on vellum and using these glass plates to “sandwich” the vellum negatives to create interesting portraits….stay tuned

I’ve lived in Northern Nevada for most of my life. Carson City is the state’s capitol and is a fascinating place to photograph. Twenty minutes from the east shore of Lake Tahoe and being located along the Eastern Sierra, the surrounding area has some of the best and most diverse landscape for recreation of all kinds: world class rock climbing, kayaking, mountain biking — this is why I live here. However, when I drive through the small urban areas of the city, something else fascinates me — the “space available.” The images are inspired first by economics, then by those who’s work I have seen that is reminiscent of the images I am making (particularly Rothko and Lewis Baltz.) One could say I’m doing photographic work from the 70’s in 2010…but it’s right there staring me in the face–Space Available.

These are a few scouting photographs from my digital camera — The work is being done in 4×5 and 8×10 to control perspective and to allow for printing HUGE. Enjoy

[gallery link="file" columns="1" size="full"]