© 2010, Matt Vanecek

I love taking photographs of people. If you visit my gallery, you’ll see I have some shots from Burlesque events. I’m hoping to round that out with portrait galleries and life candids. Also, I love taking photos of dogs, and would like to practice and get good at that. I love dogs in general, and would love to expand my interaction with this wonderful animal. Finally, I’m enthusiastic about maintaining a clean environment. I’m not an activist, but I believe that it is our responsibility to take care of our environment–we need to pick up our trash and keep our air clean. There are many reasons a person could become involved in environmental issues. I think my main reason is, I just don’t like living in a mess!

A little about me:
Currently, I work in Corporate America for a company that by-and-large stands out from most corporations. My company places a lot of emphasis on integrity, transparency, and environmental sustainability. My opinions may at times differ from theirs, and they are not affiliated with my Web site in any way, so I’ll let you ponder on who it may be (that’s the legalese…).

When I was in Junior High School, I was on the yearbook staff for a while as a photographer. We did a lot of black-and-white (of course), loading our own film rolls, developing the film, and printing/cropping the images. It was loads of fun, and I still think having a darkroom would be fun. When I got older, I drove a truck (18-wheeler) for a living, and during that time got into photography with a Canon EOS Rebel. I’ve taken pictures across the country. One time I remember clearly is stopping in the mountains near the Coors brewery and taking pictures of one of the clear streams up there. Unfortunately, through moves and carelessness, I think I’ve lost many of those negatives.

After leaving the trucking industry, I spent a couple years kicking around South Texas in the San Antonio area. I was looking for a new direction in life. I kindof lost the photography bug for a little while, or at least became less enthusiastic. Then I finally started college, and, well, I was on the fast track. There was no time for anything other than studying and working. After I graduated, I started taking more pictures. I got some of them developed. I took some photographs of my wife’s grandparent’s 50th Anniversary, and generally took snapshots.

Then my wife took up dancing, and I drifted away from photography into video. She wanted video of her performances, and I got some really neat video gear out of the deal. So I spent the next 8 or 9 years working on video skills. I think I got pretty decent at dance event video. I still need work on handheld panning and moving around, but put me on a tripod looking at a stage and I can do pretty well. Throughout all this time, I would still take pictures with my camera, though, and got some decent ones of my wife and her troupe-mates.

My first love is still photography, and a couple years back I upgraded from the EOS Rebel to a Canon 50D. I’ve managed to acquire a couple of L lenses that I’m super-happy with, and have refocused my attention on developing my skills and creativity. I used to be really creative, and even took some stabs at writing when I was much younger. I need to rediscover that imagination and bring it to my photography.

So that’s where I’m at now. I take pictures at various events–mostly Burlesque where cameras are allowed, and the occasional dance recital. I’m starting to get more portraiture going, though. My entire focus is on cramming as much knowledge in my little brain as possible, and practice practice practice to hone the skills that go with the knowledge. I like the poorly lit events, because you have to be able to focus quickly and hold the camera steady to get good shots.

I hope you enjoy my blog and my photographs!