Five Minutes with Matt Bigelow

Chicago Trash the Dress

Chicago Trash the Dress and Matt Bigelow was able to teamed up and put together this amazing lighting workshop this past weekend.  Great turnout!!  I ended up modeling for Bigelow’s workshop.  Hahaha.  It was kinda a last minute decision due to some last minute cancellations.  It was such a blast!  All the girls, including myself, braved the cold on this day.  And boy was it cold! I’ve been asked a lot these past few weeks, “Who is this Matt Bigelow guy?” Well…to help answer some of your questions surrounding the mystery, I have decided to put together a quick pow wow with the Master Bigelow himself.

1. How did you get into photography?

I have always been interested in art, in all forms. When I was young, I was always drawing, painting and doing whatever I could to create. As much as I enjoyed doing these things, I never really felt as if anything was going to stick. It wasn’t until I finally picked up a camera one day that I realized where my true creative outlet would be. From that day on, my passion only continued to grow.

2. How long did it take you before you felt like you were confident in your work?

For me, confidence continues to grow shoot by shoot. Every time you walk away from a session with something that you have learned, whether it be good or bad, a little more grows inside. I try to not go into any particular shoot with too much confidence, but instead, consider what I can learn from the shoot and how I can grow from it. I think the most important thing to remember is to not let yourself become over-confident your own work. The moment that you believe that you have nothing more to learn, and no more room to grow, is the moment that you will stop progressing as an artist.

3. Is there any quick tip or advice you have for anyone that wants to go into photography?

Do what you want to do because you want to do it, not because someone else wants you to do it. Make art because you think is beautiful, not because someone else does. Love what you do and do what you love. Follow your passion and let it steer you in the direction that it needs to take you.

4. Nikon or Canon? Why would you prefer one over the other?

I have always been a Canon man. I started with Canon from the get-go and have never had a reason to look back. I have had nothing but wonderful things to say about every Canon product I own. I wouldn’t really tell anyone to choose one over the other, but instead to try them for yourself and to see which you liked the best. Both have been tested and proven to be wonderful pieces of equipment, so at this point it simply comes down to personal preference.

5. Are you a technical or artistic person?

Artistic, hands down. I have never been one to follow the rules and regulations of industry standards. To me, it is all about aesthetics, as opposed to what’s “technically” correct. If something looks good, shoot it. Don’t worry about if someone else thinks its right or wrong. That’s the beauty of art–it is yours, you can create it however you see fit. You can put a formula to everything in this world, but if everyone is following those same formulas, how successful would art really be?

6. Tell your readers one thing about yourself that you would like for them to know. Make it short and sweet

I like to rock and roll. 🙂

The Master Bigelow himself

Comments are always welcomed!!