Today we’d like to introduce you to Matthew Mitchell.
Matthew, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I started as a makeup artist back in the early 90’s (yep the 90’s) working for big photographers and publications like WOMAN (Spain), Italian Vogue, and People, to name a few. In ’96 I moved to LA to start my next career as a photographer.
My first magazines were; Dosanna, OYE, and Estylo. Shooting Eva Longoria, Boris Kojo, Musiq Soul Child and Constance Marie. Back then I did both makeup and photography- things have changed.
By 2001, my career was in full swing with clients like TV Guide, Mervyn’s of California, Wella Hair-Care, and Sony Pictures. 2008 I was on a Lifetime show called ‘How to Look Good Naked’ with Carson Krestly, where I was invited, with the show, to go and be on Oprah. After that, I was the on-camera photographer for “I hate My Job”, ‘Star Kids”, How do I Look?” and “The Bachelor”.
Has it been a smooth road?
I’m lucky, I guess- I don’t look at obstacles, I try to keep my focus on what lies beyond. So they don’t seem like struggles, they seem like work. My grandmother (who raised me) told me once, while I was complaining about the work it took to be in the artists, “this is what success feels like… if you don’t like how this feels, you can always quit”.
Have you ever felt like giving up?
I take breaks regularly, sometimes it’s due to a crash in the economy, like 2007/2008 or literally like 9-11. But also, I take breaks and travel. That was I see the world, meet people and get inspired.
What would you tell someone who is just starting out?
Take a moment at least every 6 months (go put it on your calendar right now) set aside 30 min to clear your mind and define who you are, where you are and where and who you want to be. Then set your goals. Define who your clients are, mood-board what a body of wok will look like to attract those clients- then do it. Chip away, collaborate, learn from successful artists.
Is there something you are particularly excited about or working towards?
I’m at a point where reinvention is most important. The artists that have found any kind of success often rely too heavily on that success to carry us further. It’s an ongoing job of marketing and networking and staying fresh and new.
Contact Info:
- Website: matthewmitchellphoto.com
- Phone: 310-488-9134
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @matthewmitchell
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/matthew.mitchell.56808
