Jordan Matter

Jordan Matter began his journey in life as an actor after deciding a career in baseball did not suit him. His family had a huge influence on his eventual career in photography because his grandfather was a successful photographer for Vogue, National Geographic, Harper’s Bazaar, and even shot the president. Additionally, his father was a director and his mother a Ford model. He did not appreciate photography as a career though until he saw an exhibit by Henri Cartier-Bresson, who captured humanity as it is. After developing a new hobby and love of photography, he took headshots for a friend in acting who was upset with the dull headshots she already had. Soon his friends' agent sent a list of potential clients and his career in photography was set. Since he began, Matter has created a project named, “Dancers Among Us”, which captures dancers interacting with the world differently. He lets his subjects take freedom in their poses and captures their expression in the everyday world. When taking headshots, Matter focuses on displaying the unique personality of the individual, creating an engaging mood, and being creative. By being creative and sharing people’s personalities through their headshots, they stand out against photographers who produce the same poses and emotions with every shoot. Matter wants to surprise agents with headshots and make it difficult to anticipate the next shot. When preparing a shoot with a dancer, he first decides if he wants a classic or contemporary photo, then asks his subjects to dress in either their dance costumes or loose and casual clothes. He noted that “sometimes a more dance-y look in a contemporary setting can be quite striking.” He chooses their strengths as dancers to determine how he will display and highlight them in the backgrounds. He also suggests that dancers warm-up, since he pushes their limits, but also advises that they stop if they cannot do a pose he asks of them.

Dancersamongus.com

The photo above is my favorite photo because of the saturation of the colors, how the subject is framed, and how common the location is, yet the subject pops out. This photo stands out to me because she looks like she is having fun and the bright colors lighten the mood as well.