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LGBT Pride

In order to celebrate Pride, and give something to the LGBT community (however small that something might be), I decided to create a series of abstract images featuring the colors of various LGBT pride flags.

Sugar Paper Spectrum

At it's core this is not a complicated photo. It's a stack of colored construction paper, arranged to follow the visible light spectrum. Believe it or not, beyond being a mashing of colored dye and paper pulp, this photo is actually pretty important to me. In 2009, as a treat to myself, I bought what would become my favorite lens of all time; the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro Lens. While it felt nice to own a premium lens (the first and only one I owned for a very long time), what I loved about this lens wasn't it's construction or its reputation, but instead its ability to explore a side of photography that I hadn't been able to before. I loved getting in close—closer than you can with the naked eye—and seeing what the world around me was hiding. I only had the lens for a couple years before I had to sell it, and ever since I've missed macro photography considerably. Recently I was able to buy a used, fully manual macro lens (the Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro APO) and I've been messing with it ever since. It lacks the construction and the convenience of the Canon, but it's sharper and even more powerful. For the first time in years I'm able to truly get back to exploring the world through macro photography, and I could not be more thrilled.

be excellent to each other.

Be excellent to each other. Yes, it's a quote from a silly movie, but that doesn't mean it's not an important idea.

Aurora Above the Tree

Since I first picked up a camera one of the things I’ve wanted to direct it towards most has been the northern lights. I’ve made numerous excursions away from the lights of the city, both in Kansas and in Michigan, on those occasions where the space weather forecast hinted at particularly powerful geomagnetic activity. All of those attempts have been total busts, until now. On the night of April 23, 2023 the Aurora Borealis was visible as far south as Winfield, Kansas. Maybe it was visible even farther south, but I can personally confirm that the phenomena was at least present in the northward sky south-central Kansas. While I wasn’t able to glimpse the phenomena clearly with my naked eye, it was easily picked up by my camera in both timelapse and still photo form. To be completely honest, I thought there was a very real chance I would never get to witness this particular natural wonder, particularly while I was residing in Kansas. Well, I did, and I couldn’t be happier. It’s made even more special by the fact that I can include it with the other photos of my Tree-Across-the-Field (which you can view here: https://art.katzmatt.com/Projects/The-Tree-Across-the-Field/). In addition to the aurora, you can also see two meteors from the Lyrids Meteor Shower on the right side of the image.

NEOWISE I

The NEOWISE Comet streaking across a lightly cloudy night sky in rural Kansas.

Winter Solstice Great Conjunction

Many, many people ascribe great meaning to the movements and alignments of celestial bodies. The sun and the moon, the planets and the stars. Tonight, December 21st, 2020 marks the coincidence of two such events. The first is that of the Winter Solstice, which marks the point in the annual calendar when the night is at its absolute longest, and the day its absolute shortest. This, however, happens once every single year. The other, less commonplace celestial occurrence was the conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter, last observable in the year 1226.

Lunar Aesthetic

Something a little different for you, here's a shot of the moon behind a radio tower, as the sun sets.

Shoot for the Moon

I had to crop in pretty far to get the moon that big, sadly, so in terms of technical quality this photo isn't very good, but I still really like it.

Old and New

I loved the juxtaposition of the old, beat up and rusty windmill alongside the wind turbine farm. Both things are just so incredibly "Kansas" that I had to capture them together.

And The Lands Shall Burn

Plumes of smoke billow into the air, carried by the prairie winds as the flames that dance upon the earth below lend an orange aura to the scene. Presumably, this is part of the controlled range burning that farmers engage in every year in rural Kansas.

Stormcloud on the Prairie

Heading back to Winfield from a quick run up to Wichita and all I could think about was the lovely storm clouds brewing to the south. Ended up stopping part-way back to capture this one off to the south east.

Lights in the Sky I

While out attempting to photograph the NEOWISE Comet I also took some shots at some (relatively) nearby lightning storms.

Bichet School, District 34

This 19th century limestone school was constructed in Marion County Kansas. Next to the building stands a single tree, the top of which showing damage that likely came from a tornado that passed through at some point that either left the school building standing, or struck before it was constructed.

The Arcade

"Where the game is never over." The Arcade in Old Town is a lovely brick building with a neon sign in almost every window. I think of all my shots from Saturday's little photo-walk, this straight-on image of The Arcade is my favorite. Despite the simple composition, there's something I really love about the lighting. The late-evening blue sky with just a hint of sunset still lingering, the neon lights of The Arcade, and the way they gently flood across the brick road in front of the building.

Over the Garden Wall

A makeshift wooden ladder propped up against a stone wall. My childhood was filled with stuff like this. Adventure around every corner, secrets hiding in every pile of leaves. Monsters lurking behind every dark patch of trees. Magic and mystery are everywhere, as long as you never stop looking for them.

The Goat Door

Two goats sit just inside the doorway of a lightless stone building, taunting those for whom the Do Not Enter sign applies.

Autumn Prince

A young buck pauses his evening graze to turn around and make sure I'm not a threat.

Look What I've Got

One of my earliest shots, but also one of my favorite wildlife photographs. There's just something incredibly adorable about the way the squirrel is holding that berry.

Adventure

Attempting to boil down the amazing experience that is Dungeons & Dragons into a single photograph is difficult, but I think I did pretty well.

Colorful Danger

Some toy dinosaurs for sale at the Great Lakes Folk Festival in East Lansing, Michigan.

Teal

A simple paintbrush lying in teal acrylic paint.

Dark Clockwork

I love the look of machines. Industrial photography is one of my favorite types to look at and to shoot. The gears in this clock have amazed me since the first time I saw them.

Shadow of a Ghost

While bored in a Florida hotel room with my mother and two brothers I noticed that the frosted glass door to the bathroom allowed for some interesting shadows. So I had my younger brother stand on the other side and I did some shooting.