I just got word from my Brother in Law that his new business venture has launched. It is a website where he will sell fine art photographic reprints for a HUGE bargain. Here is the formal announcement.

Today I am launching Wozofoto – wozofoto.com – deal-a-day fine art photography for only $10. Cover those bare walls! Every day Wozofoto will feature a new photo from a different photographer, but every day 5×7′s and 8×10′s will be only $10. Sizes up to 20×30 are also available for an additional fee. The photos are printed at professional photo labs using archival quality inks and paper.

To say thanks for checking out the site, I’d like to offer you a coupon – good for $2 off any photo during Wozofoto’s first week. The coupon is good for the first week only (3/22-3/28).

$2 Discount Code – at checkout, enter WOZOFOEM

From time to time Wozofoto will feature images from this blog as well. So go check him out!

I wrote these random facts for Facebook… you know cause everyone is doing it :) I thought I would post them here for those who have not moved into the crazy world of Facebook.

Here are some random facts and tidbits about me.

1. Grew up on the Mississippi in Clinton, IA. Somehow, I could spell Mississippi long before I could spell much simpler words.

2. I didn’t miss a day of high school for illness in the whole 4 years. I don’t think I ever skipped either if I remember correctly.

3. A couple years ago I gave up all caffeine. Except for the Barqs root beer which I thought was caffeine free (seriously I thought all root beer was!) It lasted a couple of years and I didn’t really miss IT per se. I just missed Diet Coke. I am back on a steady drip of DC now though.

4. I met my wife, Erin, at a news years eve party when she was a senior in high school. We dated for a little over 4 years before we got married.

5. We just had our first baby… his name is Willem and he a JOY! The name is a Dutch family name from Erin’s side of the family. We had it picked out for a long time before he was born.

6. I work as a web designer during the day and moonlight as a photographer. I don’t know if I would like doing one or the other without something else to do. I think I am a bit ADD and I get bored easily. The variety does me good.

7. I go through phases of obsessions. I am currently obsessed with Twitter. Past obsessions have included but are not limited to: micro beers, blogging, having a clean car, organizing my CD collection, and many more.

8. I am a collector. I collect/save anything. I never get rid of stuff if I think there is a change I may want it ever or could use it for something. I have all my books from college… tell me when I will EVER look at them sadly there are more than one that I never opened DURING college? I cant bring myself to get rid of them.

9. Speaking of collecting. iTunes is great but I cant just buy one song. I have to have complete albums. So even if I don’t want but two or three of the songs on there. Probably part of the reason I have so many songs in my iTunes library.

10. Just how many songs you may ask? 12,349 songs as of this morning. That is 33 days 12 hours 38 minutes and 55 seconds worth. I could go a whole month of continuous play and never hear the same song. That is nearly 22 work weeks 9:30-5:30!

11. I am a recovering blog stalker. I used to read about 50 blogs. Funny how having a baby puts things in perspective. I have not opened my RSS aggregater in weeks!

12. I had a 8:00 Math class in college that I think I made it to about 10 times. I didn’t do very well. On a related note I had an accounting class that I made it to about as many times. One time I had to miss a test and the teacher thought it was on purpose… didn’t want to let me take it… I scored a 100% on that one and I think it pissed him off.

13. I had the equivalent of about 8 years of French class and I can barely ask “Where is the bathroom?”

14. About 6 years ago, we went on vacation with Erin’s family to Europe… you see where this is going? In Paris I tried really hard to use my EIGHT years of French. I think they appreciated the effort but it was pathetic!

15. Some people like to travel for the destination… I like to travel for the travel. I love being in airports, bus stops, train stations, etc. I don’t know why I just do.

16. I am amused easily. Sometimes I laugh at the same commercials for years.

17. I try to take in at least one episode of Seinfeld each day. It is on a couple channels a couple times a day so it is not too difficult. Long live Jerry and the Gang!

18. I think it is really funny how every high school senior things they are the person they are going to be forever at that point. Seriously. I thought it and you know you did too. Funny how time changes you even when you don’t intend for it to.

19. Right now I am chatting with one of my best friends and roommate from college… I love friendships that don’t need a lot of attention. We have not talked for a couple years and it doesn’t matter. Love you Rog!

20. I like to think of myself as shy. I just think it is a good trait so I attribute it to myself.

21. I’m 31 and I’m a Mac.

22. I don’t know what I did with myself before I had an iPhone. It is truly one of my prized possessions.

23. At different times in my life I have played the recorder, trombone, tuba, sousaphone, and guitar… and I sucked at them all! I thought for a while in college I would like to learn how to play the pipe organ but then I realized it would just take forever and I would never be good at it! Same thing with the bagpipes. I think I just like to hear them so I wanted to be able to hear them on command.

24. I love watching movies on my iPhone and before that my iPod Touch. in the past year I have watched over 50 movies on one or the other.

25. I think it feels completely natural to have friends on instant messenger and through blogs that I have never met. I have friends all over the world from all kinds of backgrounds that add so much to my life via IM! Thanks guys… you know who you are!

And a gratuitous random fact because that’s just how I roll…

26. To clear up a few rumors I am 6’8”, 270lbs, size 15 shoes… and NO I didn’t and never plan to play basketball for more than a game of P.I.G.

We hope you experience the true joy of Christmas this year! Merry Christmas!

Matt, Erin and Willem

or as my boss says “a creative”… I came across an excellent article written by one of my favorite singer songwriters Christine Kane. I am posting part of it here, with her permission, because I cant believe how it sums things up. She has captured the essence of what it is like to be creative and how the process works. I feel like it accurately describes the way I am creative too…

Canine Creativity Class

When I found my dog, she’d been badly abused. I was walking on a gravel road, and she was watching me from a mound of dirt in an old churchyard where she’d been dumped.

She started to follow me.

Each time I turned around, she’d stop dead in her tracks.

When I tried to walk towards her, she’d tuck her tail under her butt and slink away from me.

But when I just continued along my way, she followed me. She eventually got closer and closer. Ultimately she followed me home.

This is how I experience Creativity.

If I try to turn around and catch it, it turns away. Living Creative is not about willing it or grabbing it. In fact, Creativity rarely takes to announcements like, “Today I’m gonna be Creative! I’m gonna write a novel!”

It’s a process. It’s a way of being. And though it can’t be forced, it can be cultivated and allowed. It thrives when you’re already open, and your mind is receptive and quiet. There’s almost a joyful laziness to it.

I really like the last two paragraphs. I never really thought about it but while I am doing my job as a photographer Creativity is something I cant think about or it doesn’t happen. I will start trying to copy things I have seen other do or purposely incorporate things I have done in the past that worked. Ultimately it kills my creativity and the images suffer. It is the times when I am very calm and flowing, thinking about but not analyzing everything, in my shooting that I get the best images. Anyway I thought it was worth sharing. Have a great week!

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I went to the Chattanooga Market the other day and I was walking around… seeing alot of the same things as usual (good stuff mind you but the same). THEN I came across this booth that had the coolest little baby items. Holly has put ties and bow ties onto bibs and onsies. Oh my they are so cool. Anyway I had to go home and get some cash to buy some. Anyway I took some pics of the booth and promised I would post them! Here they are. oh by the way if you want to buy some Click HERE to go to Holly’s Etsy store!