Today we’d like to introduce you to Stan Matzke.
Hi Stan, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
In many ways my story starts the same as most with an interest in photography as a child. In many more ways it is quite unique I think. Nearing the end of a career as a software developer, I decided to revisit my childhood interest and bought a shiny new Nikon and a couple of lenses.
It didn’t take long for me to decide that this was something I would enjoy doing professionally. I studied my camera settings, consumed hours of online resources, and started photographing everything around me. Progress was quick initially but plateaued soon enough. I was getting good images but making a ton of mistakes too. I wanted to be a good professional photographer and not just a guy that bought a camera and called himself one.
I found PPA, Professional Photographers of America, and enrolled in their Certified Professional Photographer certification program. It is a great tool that incorporates lectures and has a practical that requires recreating a scene. Then the images are judged on their technical merits. This was a game changer for me. Not only was I starting to learn at a much faster pace, but I was also meeting and being encouraged by the most helpful, friendly people I had ever encountered.
Then I joined TPPA and PPGH, the state and local affiliates of PPA and just dove in headfirst. I started attending workshops and social events and ended up winning a half day bird photography workshop at a Christmas social. I’ve always enjoyed the great outdoors and the challenges of photographing wild birds in flight sounded fun. There is no control of the subject, very little light that changes rather quickly, and subjects move pretty quickly too. The settings for stationary shots are different than for quickly moving subjects, so muscle memory must be developed to find the settings needed and quickly change them. After one workshop, I was hooked—and still enjoy it to this day.
As I was developing my technical abilities, I started entering print competitions to work on the artistic side of the equation. After having some early success locally, I entered at the state level and was astonished when I won Best First Time Entry, Best Commercial Image, and was a Silver Medalist for having several images awarded merits.
While I did well with learning and print competitions, I knew what I needed was experience in a professional environment. I started working for a real estate photography company and got a lot of experience. I was shooting nearly every day, gaining mastery of off camera flash and editing. I got the occasional real estate agent head shot or title company group shots but needed more work posing people, so I took job at Prestige Portraits. I was photographing up to 50 students at multiple stations in a studio environment. Prepping, posing, and capturing multiple images per student was exactly what I needed.
At this point I felt like I was ready to focus on my business and felt confident that I had a pretty solid foundation to build it with. Currently, my work consists of headshots, branding sessions, family portraits, graduates, baby showers and, most recently, wedding photography. My goal is to be the family photographer for whatever type of photography my clients need and I feel like I am uniquely qualified to do that. I like building relationships with my clients, and I think they enjoy not having to track multiple photographers for different needs.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Has it been a smooth road? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Absolutely, a walk in the park. Ha, no, far from it.
Initially, as with most businesses, there are struggles with capital expenses and the mechanics of running a business. It takes a lot of gear; backups of everything are needed. Processes, procedures and workflows have to be created, which takes time and experience to refine. Prioritizing what to learn is actually a challenge. There is so much to learn technically, artistically, and from a business perspective it can be difficult to know which to focus on first. I wish I would have focused more on the business side initially and been more patient with the technical and artistic side. Regardless, it takes a lot of work, time and mistakes. There are no shortcuts. I had to learn and commit to continuing to learn. I had to put in the time behind the camera, for both client and special interest work. I had to understand and correct my mistakes. My path was at times painful, but I learned so much from that. But I believe those are the stones that sharpen our steel, so to speak.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Artist/Creative
I really enjoy photographing life in action. I am an Air Force veteran and love air shows as well. I have attended Texas School of Photography a couple of times and would highly recommend it to anyone that wants to get serious about their work. It’s a full week of instruction and many classes have extensive hands-on training. People from all over the US and some from other countries attend each year. The camaraderie and energy have reinvigorated me every time I attend.
I continue to enter print competitions as I find time. I believe it is important to keep learning and getting feedback. It absolutely translates to better client work and has been instrumental in getting me where I am today. I admit that initially I did not love editing and the software can be daunting to learn, but with time, I have grown to enjoy it and have begun learning to paint with Photoshop. I recently earned my Master of Photography with PPA and am looking forward to Imaging USA in January where I will receive my award and take a few classes from PPA colleagues and experts.
How do you define success?
Well, that has certainly evolved over time. Initially, it was technical. Was it sharp, well exposed, well composed? Success! Then it started to grow. Was it impactful, did it capture a moment, tell a story? Now, I find my clients’ reactions to my work to be the most gratifying. I like knowing that my experience and expertise gives people visual memories of the moments that mean the most to them. Their smiles are my success.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://MatzkePhotography.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/matzkephotos/
- Yelp: https://biz.yelp.com/biz_info/wMTMqlqXR9aZvoc5WlTqWg
