WHO?
My name is Matt Gomes and I’m from San Jose, California. I’ve been taking pictures of my life, intimate spaces, the street, and various industrial spaces since about 2010.
I’m a musician, father, sports fan, and industrial mechanic in my day to day life. I love lifting weights, drinking beer, and spending time with my loved ones. I hate summer heat and being wet. I’ve been told I have a good sense of humor and a bad temper.
WHAT?
I take two sort of distinct styles of photography as my main focuses. I mostly shoot with a compact camera and take a lot of candid shots of my friends and family, my city, and my workplace. I have access to a lot of industrial spaces that not a lot of people would normally see so I try to make the most of that and show people something that may be different from what a lot of other people shoot on a regular basis. The second style I enjoy working with is more minimalist medium format landscape and cityscape photography. Something about lines, angles, details and the light associated with this style of photography really captivates me. It’s such a different way of composing that it’s a nice way for me to keep things fresh and prevents me from getting sick of my candid work.
WHERE?
The majority of my pictures are taken at work and out with my friends. I fix machines for a living and I work in a lot of very old buildings that seem like something out of a science fiction horror film or something, which makes for some pretty interesting subject matter. I think to mix those shots in with more of my candid and personal photos that come from more intimate spaces like my home or the homes of my friends conceptually makes for a pretty interesting if somewhat disjointed narrative.
WHEN?
I first got into photography seriously around 2010/2011 when my wife–a great photographer herself–inspired me to get my own camera and start taking pictures. It was immediately my favorite thing to do and nowadays I have a camera with me 100% of the time. Work, the grocery store, the bathroom, the bar, it doesn’t matter. Any time and every time is a good time for a photograph.
WHY?
I take pictures because I need to. It’s something I take with me everywhere. Photography taught me how to see the world and I couldn’t imagine my life without it at this point. It’s important to have a way to express yourself creatively, I think it lends itself to a complete life.
