With that ideal, the first Sit-down will be this Saturday, August 14, at 1:00p.m. at Chompie’s in the NW Corner of the Paradise Valley Mall in Phoenix. Anyone interested in hanging out and talking photography, swing on by. If you do plan on coming, please try and send an RSVP to matt@matthewdutile.com so I know if we need to reserve a big or small table. Hope to see you there!

How can I even begin to express how my life has changed since? It’s amazing how much a few mirrors, dials and sensors have revolutionized the way I look at the world. It’s provided me the ability to tap into a creative side I hardly knew was there and I keep plugging away at it. Each day holds a little more insight into what I’m trying to say as an artist. I’m excited about the journey.

Thanks to everyone who has supported me along the way. I’ve been lucky enough to have a lot of help and encouragement from many people. Thank you to the great group of clients who have put their trust in me to deliver them the images that represent their brand. I’m looking forward to what the next year and a half will bring. Great things happen with practice, persistence and perspiration. Just remember, smile, and keep laughing.

The “plight of the artist” can often be something to laugh about (I’ve had a good chuckle a number of times over people who thought they could change the world and ended up flipping burgers at McDonald’s), but it’s also a driving force in the life of many people. I count myself among those people now. Since I began taking my work in photography seriously, it’s been a new adventure in life. It’s a new passion. I don’t find myself laughing at the McDonald’s artists so much anymore – just wishing they could find a way to channel their passion into an applicable business practice. I doubt myself. All. The. Time. Who could ever like my work? Why can’t I be better? What is so wrong with my perspective?

But then I realize, it’s not what’s wrong, but what I need to continue to refine. We’re never wrong as artists, we’re just continuing to refine our vision and improve the technicalities of the tools that allow us to do that. Sure, we’re wrong on the technicals all the time, but never doubt your vision as an artist. Listen to others. Learn from others. And most importantly, always be you.

Whatever the venture, passion is the driving force. Passion for photography. Passion for life. Passion for laughter. These are what drive me forward. Passion is what drives all of us forward, if only for ourselves. I got to thinking about this a little more when someone asked me what my goal was for my photography. Well it is and continues to be, “To laugh with honesty every day the rest of my life and to inspire everyone around me to laugh as well.”

My photography is an extension of who I am. I try to show that a bit more every day in a creative way. I hope to laugh every day. I hope others can share that laughter with me. I can honestly say since working toward this lifestyle, I have. I hope to continue that, and to share it with more people. I believe in laughter we find ourselves.

Thank you all for helping me live my passion every day. Learn to recognize your own passions. When you do, never let them go. Always advance in the face of doubt, external or internal. Keep an ear open to advice. An “artist’s vision” is never an excuse for achieving less than you are capable of because you’re unwilling to take criticism of your work or learn from others.

Be proud. Be humble. Be you. Follow your passion and life will reward you in ways you never dreamed possible.

Production is all the little (and big) details that go into a shoot. Location, permits, models, wardrobe, props, food/drinks/catering, image delivery timetable and method. The personal style of how you run your shoots and interact with your crew and team members can even be said to be a part of your production. It all comes down to knowing your vision and being able to put together the pieces to execute it, within a reasonable time frame and budget constraints.

Your budget is often the ultimate deciding factor in what you can produce. I’d love to be able to shoot on a three deck yacht through the Caribbean, but it’s simply not a budgetary reality (yet). That being said, I encourage any photographer looking to put together fresh images for their portfolio to put some personal money into it. That doesn’t mean you have to go overboard though.

In the photographs below I picked up these colorful pairs of socks at Target for $2 a piece and matched them to the outfits that these fun models from The Agency Arizona brought with them. The $6 investment was well worth an image that will help grow my book.

For these images I went to a local grocery store and picked up around $15 worth of different fruit. They helped foster a fun feel and style to a number of images.

And for this last set I spent a few more bucks at Target grabbing colorful sandals and an extra few at the dollar store for a snorkel and floaties. None of these are expensive items, but they help create the right atmosphere for the photos.

Lately I’ve been putting around $100-200 into my personal test shoots, and that number grows as I continue to book bigger jobs and more clients. It’s a repeating cycle. Larger clients want to see the time and production you put into your images and they want to see new personal work on a regular basis. It shows your passion for what you do. It’s one of the comments I hear the most in any new client meeting – my apparent passion for creating images. Passion + production = progress. Put some more passion and production into your own work and I guarantee you’ll start seeing similar results.

It’s appropriate to start this blog with this first piece of advice: communicate and share. After all, this blog is a way to do both. The opportunities to reach out and establish new contacts, build bigger brand advocates, find mentors and simply meet some really cool people have never been greater than they are today.

Tomorrow, there will be even more opportunities.

Communicating is more than just talking. It’s about engaging in conversation. Never be afraid to reach out to someone. Ask questions, give your opinions and just laugh with them. I guarantee you will learn something new, grasp a new vision or build a valuable relationship. In the past few months, because I’ve been bold enough to reach out and ask what’s on my mind, or simply talk to people I thought were cool, I’ve expanded my network and potential by huge amounts. I credit the progress I have made through photography to communicating with others and having them communicate back.

Share: simply put, share your work. Show others not only your images but your thoughts, techniques and vision. Hold on to some of your brand secrets, but never be afraid to lend a helping hand or share what you know. You might be surprised with what they have to share back.

Lastly, never be afraid to turn everything upside down and just rock the moment.

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