Interview with Matt Mallett

Hi Matt! Tell us about yourself in two sentences - who are you?

I am a photographer based in England who runs a photography business alongside my daytime job under the name of JRM Photography after my sons initials. My love for photography came from my daytime role as a Crime Scene Examiner for 16 years and has shifted dramatically from dealing with crime scenes to photographing every day wonders of nature and more.

QWhat's the weirdest situation you've found yourself in while taking a photograph?

AI think it's fair to say that over the years, photographing crime scenes has ensured that I have photographed most things that people would find downright weird and certainly things that would not be for the faint hearted. Now that I have shifted direction artistically I find that I will do what it takes to try and capture the perfect moment particularly when it comes to sunrises and sunsets. My most weird situation in recent times was capturing a sunset off the Essex Coast in Walton on Naze. I wrongly assessed the area I would be photographing would be sandy which actually turned out to be three feet of mud. Having struggled to get to the location I ensured I captured the image I wanted before either my camera or I disappeared into the mud never to be seen again!! Suffice to say I got some strange looks from people who obviously knew better than I about the location.

QWhat do you shoot on? What's your favourite set up?

AI have developed a real passion for landscape imagery and especially the golden hours around sunrise and sunset. Living on the Essex Coast in England allows me to exploit the natural beauty of the coastline and the ever changing looks provided by the prevailing weather conditions. Added to this I incorporate long exposures which can give a surreal look to the images I am taking. Virtually all my images are taken on tripod.
I was trained on medium format cameras and for many years my main stay camera was a Mamiya RB67. My first digital SLR camera was a Canon 300D but I soon changed to Nikon and have been with Nikon ever since updating camera bodies every so often. My current set up for landscapes is a Nikon D800 with assorted lenses but for my landscapes I use a Nikon 18-35g and Nikon 24-70g. I also use a 10 stop ND filter from SRB and assorted graduated neutral density filters. I have also recently acquired a Nikon D750 which I use for weddings and low light photography.

QWhat's your number one tip for an aspiring photographer?

APhotography is an ever evolving learning experience. There will be times when images work and other times when images do not. The art of photography is learning from those experiences but always be willing to try something new which pushes your boundaries. Digital photography has revolutionised image capture and the boundaries are only limited by your imagination. Just go out and try everything.