matt maier

new! yet, a return to the old…

matt — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 05:56:48 +0000

a now defunct blog “diatribe” will be resurrected. in spirit, if nothing else… i am not taking as many photographs as i used to, i find myself not as moved by imagery. i am still very fond of photography and will continue to post images i would like to be shared. alas, i still find myself with “something” to say — still searching for the right medium i suppose… in the interim, i will rely on the tried and true, writing.

i am not a technologist, nor a technophile, not anymore at least. i’m not even sure i ever was, truly. i had my moments, i still do! but, i believe my enthusiasm was/is more about learning than the technology. that’s it, i’m addicted to learning – like everyone else.

diatribe, for what it was, was about ranting, raving, and just plain putting opinions and thoughts out there. expression, in my own way and on my own terms. i liked it, i want to return to that – the rawness of it, the uninhibited self-expression. because, it really didn’t matter after all, who was ever going to read it…right?

whether it be imagery or words – constraining this specific platform to only images, i found myself stifled, inhibited, and downright limited. i thought i had to produce an image or photograph or whatever you’d like to call it, which was “worthy”; maybe they are, maybe they aren’t, i’m not the one to judge. i’m a very firm beilver in, if you like it, it is good. regardless of whether it is photography, writing, wine, food, cloud formations, whatever…good is good, it’s all about context, know what i mean?

but, placing such lofty aspirations[aka pressure] on one’s self…it erodes self-esteem, derails the very reason for which one aspired to do the things one did, and IS narcissism. the epitome of self-absorption, much like blogging itself.

let us all remember to never, ever take ourselves too seriously.

enjoy!!

Torres del Paine

matt — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 21:07:08 +0000

Entering the Torres del Paine National Park in Patagonia, Chile we were greeted with beautiful, though rather ominous, vistas. Karen’s parents had taken the same trip before only to experience rain, wind, and cold. The entire day had been kinda sketchy – lots of clouds and periods of rain interspersed with bright sunshine. The actual Torres were obscured by heavy cloud cover until the sun started to set. Then…wow!

click here to download large desktop background wallpaper

Torres del Paine National Park, Patagonia, Chile

click here to download large desktop background wallpaper

Torres del Paine National Park, Patagonia, Chile

click here to download large desktop background wallpaper

Torres del Paine National Park, Patagonia, Chile

click here to download large desktop background wallpaper

Torres del Paine National Park, Patagonia, Chile

buenos aires – la recoleta cemetery

matt — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 16:38:47 +0000

La Recoleta Cemetery is a famous cemetery located in the exclusive Recoleta neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It contains the graves of notable people, including Eva Perón, Raúl Alfonsín, and several presidents of Argentina.

La Recoleta Cemetery

tendrils

matt — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 23:18:22 +0000

another photograph from the national arboretum visit. with just a little bit of adjustment in lightroom this photograph really came to life. it isn’t hdr but seems to have some hdr-esque personality. the color and shape of these plant tips is what drew my eye. i’m a sucker for purple…

update: the above photograph is available as a desktop background wallpaper

tendrils and bee

more photographs from the same visit to the national arboretum. a different perspective of the same plant; with the added benefit of a late season bee coming in for a landing.

click on the image to the left to view it larger, i think the bee adds some movement and life to the photograph. gives it a little extra, the little bud on the bottom right kind of bugs me. i may work on removing that if i decide to print this one.

we originally went to the arboretum to check out the bonsai trees. i haven’t processed any of those photographs yet. honestly, i’m not sure that i actually like any of them enough to spend time on them. but, after we’d finished with the bonsai exhibits; we wandered over to the herb garden. of course, at the time of year we were there, there was not much to see as most of the plants had died off for the season or were going dormant. obviously, there were a few plants still displaying some growth and color.

tendrils

i’m not sure, i may actually like this second tendrils photograph more than the first one. to me it has a bit more personality and is obviously less “busy” than the first. i need to live with it a bit to compare and contrast the two.

xmas tree minimal

matt — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 21:31:50 +0000

have a safe and happy holiday!!

available as a desktop background wallpaper, enjoy