Photographer noun a person who takes photographs
Picture noun a representation of a person or people or object(s) etc. made by painting, drawing or photography
Matt Harris noun 1 a Hampshire based Photographer 2 an all round good egg
Matt directing Quentin Tarantino.
I am a Hampshire photographer who takes pictures of people, places and people doing stuff in places. My area of work sees me at weddings, which I love and always have to pinch myself that I get to be a part of the best day in a couples life. It's such an honour, a huge responsibility and isn't something I take lightly. I can also be seen at private and corporate events with venues including the Royal Horseguards Hotel, Queen's Club and the Goodwood Revival as well as working with businesses and a few select private schools providing imagery for their marketing. I even do the odd family shoot when time allows and there's nothing more fun than running around a woodland being a goofball and photographing kids just being kids.
Its important, I think, to let you know that I'm extremely relaxed and informal. I don't do bossy or tell people what they should or shouldn't do. People photograph best when they're allowed to be themselves so formal posing is out for me as I want to be able to see you just being "you". I often get asked about my style. You'll hear other photographers use words like "documentary" or "reportage" but in reality I just use patience and observation with a dash of spontaneity to take shots of what's happening around me. It's all about anticipating that "moment" and years of being around people with a camera in my hand have taught me a lot about when that moment is.
Why photography? Well, I've always loved pictures, from the candid behind the scenes black and white shots of cinema's greatest icons to the gritty realism of Don McCullin's war photography. One image can say so many different things and I eventually picked up my Dad's old 35mm and wasted too much money on film, chemicals and photographic paper whilst at college studying media production. Harry Potter might have had a bedroom under the stairs, my housemates and I had a darkroom and our living room was a maze of drying contact sheets and prints.
University beckoned and afterwards I pursued a career in the broadcast media industry, producing and directing programmes for Sky Television, travelling all over the world where I was able to film and interview some of the biggest names in the world of sport and movies.
This proved to be a great training ground in terms of learning about image composition, lighting and getting the best out of your subject - believe me when I say a 3 year old child or a stressed mother of the bride is generally more manageable than an Oscar winning movie star. It was a fun adventure but I was looking for a way out of the corporate environment and so decided to pick up the camera again to see where it took me. Working for myself was a breath of fresh air and gave me more of a sense of purpose. I could actually change how people felt with a single picture. So, off I went and here I am now. Taking pictures of people and making them happy.
When I'm not taking pictures, my life revolves around my family - my amazing wife, our 2 wonderful sons and Bronte the Labrador. I also help to coach my elder son's club rugby side (when you can get thirty 9-10 year olds to pay attention to you, taking a group shot of an entire wedding is a breeze!) and I support the (sometimes) mighty Harlequins.
I love the great outdoors and am equally at peace whether I'm walking the dog in the woods, in the mountains with a pack on my back or paddle boarding on the ocean. Give me a flat white with a pain au raisin and I'm good to go. There's music new and old (Pearl Jam are my favourite band) and I'll listen to most things depending on my mood. Weirdly, at the moment there's a fair bit of country music coming out of my speakers thanks to Yellowstone. Talking of which, a gripping TV series really gets me going (thanks Netflix) and I can talk movies all day long.
I'm also big on sartorialism, how we dress is so important and is something that I feel us gents have let slip over the years, so having a good appreciation of and a keen eye for the cut of a jacket, the style of someones shoes or what tie they are wearing is something that, in my older years, I have grown more interested in (this is also handy when it comes to working with Grooms and Ushers on their big day - helping with a tricky tie knot or advising on buttonhole placement has become a regular occurrence!)
Then there are bicycles. Riding them, watching others ride them, reading about them, the history, the colours, the races, the characters, the clothes, the idiosyncrasies. Everything really. As a photographer the sport helps feed me creatively and escaping into rural Hampshire where I live on my bike is my pressure release valve. It keeps me fresh and fit, clears the head, helps me think and gives me ideas. More importantly it helps me reflect on who I am, where I've been and where I'm going.
So, that's me. I'm Matt and I take pictures.
Instagram: @mjhpictures
Its important, I think, to let you know that I'm extremely relaxed and informal. I don't do bossy or tell people what they should or shouldn't do. People photograph best when they're allowed to be themselves so formal posing is out for me as I want to be able to see you just being "you". I often get asked about my style. You'll hear other photographers use words like "documentary" or "reportage" but in reality I just use patience and observation with a dash of spontaneity to take shots of what's happening around me. It's all about anticipating that "moment" and years of being around people with a camera in my hand have taught me a lot about when that moment is.
Why photography? Well, I've always loved pictures, from the candid behind the scenes black and white shots of cinema's greatest icons to the gritty realism of Don McCullin's war photography. One image can say so many different things and I eventually picked up my Dad's old 35mm and wasted too much money on film, chemicals and photographic paper whilst at college studying media production. Harry Potter might have had a bedroom under the stairs, my housemates and I had a darkroom and our living room was a maze of drying contact sheets and prints.
University beckoned and afterwards I pursued a career in the broadcast media industry, producing and directing programmes for Sky Television, travelling all over the world where I was able to film and interview some of the biggest names in the world of sport and movies.
This proved to be a great training ground in terms of learning about image composition, lighting and getting the best out of your subject - believe me when I say a 3 year old child or a stressed mother of the bride is generally more manageable than an Oscar winning movie star. It was a fun adventure but I was looking for a way out of the corporate environment and so decided to pick up the camera again to see where it took me. Working for myself was a breath of fresh air and gave me more of a sense of purpose. I could actually change how people felt with a single picture. So, off I went and here I am now. Taking pictures of people and making them happy.
When I'm not taking pictures, my life revolves around my family - my amazing wife, our 2 wonderful sons and Bronte the Labrador. I also help to coach my elder son's club rugby side (when you can get thirty 9-10 year olds to pay attention to you, taking a group shot of an entire wedding is a breeze!) and I support the (sometimes) mighty Harlequins.
I love the great outdoors and am equally at peace whether I'm walking the dog in the woods, in the mountains with a pack on my back or paddle boarding on the ocean. Give me a flat white with a pain au raisin and I'm good to go. There's music new and old (Pearl Jam are my favourite band) and I'll listen to most things depending on my mood. Weirdly, at the moment there's a fair bit of country music coming out of my speakers thanks to Yellowstone. Talking of which, a gripping TV series really gets me going (thanks Netflix) and I can talk movies all day long.
I'm also big on sartorialism, how we dress is so important and is something that I feel us gents have let slip over the years, so having a good appreciation of and a keen eye for the cut of a jacket, the style of someones shoes or what tie they are wearing is something that, in my older years, I have grown more interested in (this is also handy when it comes to working with Grooms and Ushers on their big day - helping with a tricky tie knot or advising on buttonhole placement has become a regular occurrence!)
Then there are bicycles. Riding them, watching others ride them, reading about them, the history, the colours, the races, the characters, the clothes, the idiosyncrasies. Everything really. As a photographer the sport helps feed me creatively and escaping into rural Hampshire where I live on my bike is my pressure release valve. It keeps me fresh and fit, clears the head, helps me think and gives me ideas. More importantly it helps me reflect on who I am, where I've been and where I'm going.
So, that's me. I'm Matt and I take pictures.
Instagram: @mjhpictures