Matt Fulkes Photography

Cleaning House

2012-02-10T09:44:00.000-08:00

For the couple of you who might be following this blog, you may have noticed that a lot of posts/pictures have suddenly disappeared. I WAS uploading my 366 Project pictures here, but I created an album on my Facebook page this morning, and I will be uploading the pictures to that album from here on out. I'm also going to start moving a lot of my pictures from the Matt Fulkes Photography page over to my main profile page, as that is a more appropriate location for them.

I am not by any means a professional photographer (although I do occasionally get paid to take pictures,) but I am trying to improve my skills and increase my knowledge. To that end, I try to get in as many formal photo shoots (family portraits, weddings, etc.) as possible, and I post examples of these shoots on my pages. But I'm also continuously shooting loads of snapshots, and while some of them might be good, they're just that - snapshots. The problem is, when I post these snapshots with the other more formal pictures I have taken, and most likely been paid for, it sends a mixed message.

In an effort to present a more business-like appearance to potential clients, I'm only going to post pictures from formal/official photo shoots on this blog, and on the Matt Fulkes Photography page. Any other pictures I take (and there will be many of them,) I will post to my profile page on Facebook, or to various other sites which I maintain. I want to keep this blog and the Matt Fulkes Photography page on Facebook for more "professional" pictures, in an attempt to present a more formal collective body of work.

If you have any questions, or you would like to schedule a shoot, feel free to contact me at mfulkesphoto@gmail.com, and thank you for your continued support.

Win A Free Nikon Or Canon Camera

2012-01-19T07:35:00.000-08:00

MCP Actions and PunchTab are featuring a new contest where they are giving away a free DSLR camera of your choice! You can choose from a Nikon D700 (body only,) or a Canon 5D MKII + 85mm 1.8 lens. Personally I'm a Nikon devotee, but the addition of that 85mm f/1.8 lens DOES make the Canon camera seem rather attractive!

At any rate, if you would like to enter to win one of these awesome cameras, just click on this link and follow the instructions. Please give the entry box time to fully load. The server is being overwhelmed with all of the entries, and it might be running a bit slow.

Thanks, and good luck!

I HEART Faces Photo Challenge | Family Fun

2012-01-16T17:43:00.000-08:00

This is from a family photo shoot I did for an old high school buddy of mine. His sons are really too big now for him to try and pick them all up at the same time, but that didn't stop them from trying! :-)

Father & Sons

The Adams Family

2011-11-30T21:07:00.000-08:00

Here is a sampling from the Adams Family photo shoot last Saturday in Acworth.

The Kennedy Family

2011-11-28T14:06:00.000-08:00

Here is a sampling of pictures from one of the photo shoots I did this past Saturday for a high school friend of mine.

Family Portrait Slideshows

2011-11-23T11:18:00.001-08:00

As an additional option to any Family Portrait session, you can add a slideshow to your CD of images. These can be simple shows that scroll automatically through your images, or they can be more elaborate productions with animations and music. Prices vary depending on the style of show and options that you chose. If you have any questions, please contact me. Shown below is a slideshow I created as an example.

The Cole Family

2011-11-07T20:38:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures from a quick family shoot I did Saturday morning. They aren't formal or anything, they're just some fun, simple pictures of the family, taken early in the morning amidst the bamboo and chilly morning winds. Most of them anyway. :-)

Lake Tahoe Wedding Photography

2011-10-10T19:17:00.000-07:00

Recently I was asked to fly to Nevada, to shoot a family member's wedding on Lake Tahoe. This was the first wedding that I've shot by myself, and I did it with no backup, of any kind (2nd shooter/assistant/camera body/etc.) Needless to say, it was a little daunting. Also, I was primarily shooting with a lens I rented, and had never used before. Now I know these definitely aren't the BEST practices for a wedding photographer, but I don't think the pictures came out TOO badly. *g*

I have included a [low resolution] slideshow of some of my favorite images from that day. I converted it to an MPG file in a video editing program though, and it looks like it dropped some frames, so the full show isn't there. Still, take a look, and let me know what you think in the Comments section below. Thanks.

St. George Island, FL

2011-08-21T20:43:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from my trip to St. George Island, Florida.

I HEART Faces Weekly Challenge - Water

2011-07-24T20:55:00.000-07:00

This is my entry for the July 25 IHF weekly challenge - Water.

Random Pictures From The Past Several Months

2011-07-22T16:08:00.000-07:00

More Wedding Pictures

2010-12-20T19:20:00.000-08:00

A Few Wedding Pictures

2010-12-15T08:09:00.000-08:00

I wasn't the photographer at the wedding, I was just shooting from the sidelines, as it were. Here are a few of the pictures I captured.

Some B&W Shots From Thanksgiving

2010-11-30T14:03:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures from our Thanksgiving celebration this year. I will be uploading additional pictures as I edit them. Also, once Heather has posted her wedding photos online, I will be adding some of the ones that I took myself, so stay tuned.

In the meantime, here's a small offering of new pictures.

Week 1 - LIGHT

2010-11-21T19:02:00.000-08:00

Well, since there were only 2 entries during the week for the first photo competition, I decided to post both of them here on the site.

Here is Monica's entry:

And here is Lynne's entry:

Hopefully we'll have more entries for the next competition. Stay tuned to the FMD Photography page on Facebook for the next photography competition theme!

Vertigo

2010-11-18T20:03:00.000-08:00

My Photo Project Pictures

2010-11-03T19:23:00.000-07:00

Here were the pictures I showed in my photography class tonight, if anyone's interested. :)

New Layout

2010-11-02T19:25:00.000-07:00

Okay, I found this template while I was searching for a previous design, and I decided to switch to this one for a while. As a word of clarification to those who don't know me, and might be viewing this blog for the first time, I did NOT take the picture of the Thames River and the surrounding London attractions that is featured in my header (it was part of the design template.) And although I am original FROM England, I live in the US, in Georgia, so I don't do any photography work in the UK (unless someone would like to pay for me to fly back to my birthplace for a visit, in which case I would be GLAD to take pictures of whatever you want! *hopeful grin*)

Anyway, now that that's out of the way, I hope you'll take a few minutes to look at my pictures, and leave a comment or two. Please refrain from any outright criticism though. I am not a professional photographer, and I have never claimed to be one. I'm just a guy with a camera, who enjoys taking photographs. CONSTRUCTIVE criticism is welcome though. :-)

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day.

Photography Class Field Trip - Downtown Athens

2010-10-24T20:03:00.000-07:00

Here are a few of the pictures I took during my photography class field trip.

Brothers

2010-10-10T20:34:00.000-07:00

The Finished Artwork

2010-09-27T17:22:00.000-07:00

Here is a finished shot of all of Naomi's hard work, as well as my "Still Life With Chalk" shot. :)

Fort Yargo Lake, B&W Conversion

2010-09-19T17:31:00.001-07:00

HDR From Fort Yargo State Park

2010-09-18T15:46:00.000-07:00

Fix-It-Friday #37

2010-09-18T08:37:00.000-07:00

Here is the original image.

My Submission For This Week

Last Saturday, Clare & Josh's House

2010-08-30T17:41:00.000-07:00

Fix-It Friday #67

2010-08-20T20:18:00.000-07:00

Here is my entry into this week's Fix-It Friday challenge.

The first picture is the original, the second one is my interpretation of it.

Dave 2.0

2010-08-18T15:23:00.000-07:00

Black & White

2010-08-11T21:29:00.000-07:00

Breakin'

2010-07-25T23:34:00.000-07:00

This is my humble entry for the 3rd annual Scott Kelby Worldwide Photo Walk, which took place on Saturday, July 24, 2010. Our local walk was in downtown Athens. This guy and his friend walked up to my while I was waiting for Monica to find a parking space, and asked if I wanted something to photograph. (Since I'd been standing on the corner taking pictures of random things.) I was a little hesitant at first, not sure what they were offering, but they told me they were in town for a break dancing competition that evening, and the guy pictured here offered to pose for some shots. He then dropped to the ground and pull this off...one of the classical B-Boy poses.

I don't for one minute think it will win from our group, but it was cool that he gave me the chance to photograph him, and I believe I'm the only one who got anything like this. There are some amazing shots coming from the group (from the few I've seen so far,) and I'm humbled to be among such talented photographers. If you would like to see more pictures from some of the other participants, check out Flickr page. In the meantime, here's the picture that I uploaded for my entry.

New Blog Layout

2010-07-24T10:37:00.000-07:00

Okay, I've finally updated this blog with a new layout that works better for me. I can now post larger pictures, and configure things the way I want them. It's a work in progress though, so please be patient. I'm not reformatting any of my old posts, so they will remain the same, but from here on out things will be bigger and bolder, so stay tuned! :)

I Guess We Know Where Waldo Is Now

2010-07-24T10:32:00.000-07:00

Fix It Friday #62

2010-07-16T21:25:00.000-07:00

Here is my entry for this week's Fix-It-Friday.

Here is the original image.

Oakland Cemetery

2010-06-13T15:36:00.001-07:00

Week 22 - Barefoot Week

2010-05-31T18:58:00.000-07:00

This is my entry for Week 22 - Barefoot Week.

Post production was done in Photoshop CS4 Extended, using Nik Software's Color Efex Pro 3, and Topaz Labs' DeNoise 4, primarily.

Fix-It-Friday

2010-05-28T16:13:00.001-07:00

Here is my latest entry for this week's Fix-It-Friday challenge. All post production work was done in Photoshop CS4 Extended, with the primary edits/modifications being made with filters from Topaz Labs, AutoFx

Original Image

Edited Version - A pseudo HDR/painted look.

New Lens Test - Thunderhead

2010-05-26T15:37:00.001-07:00

Testing out my new lens. This is the top of some of the clouds that were outside our house an hour or so ago. It looks like a storm is on the way. :)

Experiments

2010-05-15T22:35:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more pictures of Clare and her family, shot while experimenting with a technique I read about (it shouldn't be that hard to figure out.)

Niece & Nephew

2010-05-15T22:29:00.000-07:00

As I was on my own today, I went and visited Clare and her family. Here are a few pictures I took while I was there.

Fix It Friday

2010-05-14T20:06:00.000-07:00

This is my entry for this week's Fix-It-Friday challenge. All post production work was done in Photoshop CS4 and CS5 Extended.

This is the original version.

This is my edited version.

Little Mulberry Park

2010-05-08T21:37:00.001-07:00

People Too

2010-05-07T18:53:00.001-07:00

"Self Portrait"

"Tattoo"

"Oh My Head!"

"Cousins I"

"Cousins II"

"Cheese"

"More Cheese"

People

2010-04-24T14:53:00.000-07:00

Scenery

2010-04-24T14:45:00.001-07:00

Animals

2010-04-24T14:41:00.000-07:00

I decided to post some older pictures of mine. Most of these were taken with a Sony DSC-H9. I still use this camera from time to time, if I want to get close to my subject, and don't have a telephoto lens for my Nikon.

IHeartFaces Atlanta Photo Walk

2010-04-22T20:38:00.000-07:00

I'm still fairly new to photography (at least to the point of where I half-way know what I'm doing), so this looked like it could be a lot of fun. I've been a member of/contributor to the I HEART Faces Web site for the past year or so, but I've never taken part in any of the events they've showcased (mainly because none of them are ever near me.) This is the first one that's been close to where I live, so I jumped on the opportunity to do something different and exciting. I'm looking forward to the event, and I'm sure it will be a lot of fun for everyone involved.

See you all there! :)

FMD Photography - Fix It Friday

2010-04-16T15:39:00.000-07:00

Here is my submission for this week's Fix-It-Friday. All editing was done in Photoshop CS4 Extended.

Original Image

Edited Version

Hands On Fun

2010-02-22T20:46:00.000-08:00

FMDPhotography_F-I-F

2010-01-29T16:41:00.000-08:00

Original Image

Edited Version

Programs Used: Light Room 3 Beta, PS CS4 Extended

I made a lot of small alterations to this photograph between the 2 programs. I'm couldn't tell you what I did exactly. I just kept playing with the image until I liked the look of it. :)

Family 1

2009-03-12T12:24:00.001-07:00

Some pictures I took today of Jack and Esme.

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Setting Up House

2009-02-09T07:20:00.000-08:00

I set this blog up to showcase my photography. First off let me start by saying that I am in no way a professional photographer (as will be evident once you see my pictures.) That being said, photography is a hobby of mine, and it's something I really enjoy. I'm always trying to enhance my skills, and one of these days I'll actually get around to learning "how" to do photography. In the meantime, I just like to take pictures of things, and this blog will allow people to view some of my personal favorites, and on occasion, ones I've entered into amateur photography contests.

If you would like to purchase prints of any of my work, please contact me and we can discuss sizes and pricing options. Thanks for stopping by, and feel free to leave comments. Instructive criticism is welcome, but please refrain from outright negativity. Thanks, and enjoy.