Daily Inspiration: Meet Alain Matz

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alain Matz

Hi Alain, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
The story -technically- goes all the way back to being a kid and wanting to write and direct films, but let’s just fast forward to 2018. While still pursuing a career in the film industry, I suffered a personal tragedy when my wife of eight years passed away. I was already dealing with major depression, but things took a very dark turn. I tried to find distraction in my writing. It worked, but writing, even in the best of scenarios, is a very slow process. I needed to find something that could provide more immediate satisfaction.

I had been interested in photography for years but hadn’t touched a camera since long before everything went digital. Conceptually things were the same, but cameras had evolved into a whole new beast. A friend of mine had an old Canon 60D laying around and let me just run with it. I began shooting pretty much anything I could. Anyone I could. And then…Covid hit and everything shut down. There wasn’t tons I could do, but it gave me time to just mess around with shooting things at home and learning how digital cameras worked. I managed to shoot a few friends here and there and cut my teeth on having an actual human in front of me, asking what they should do. More often than not, I was like, “Hell, I dunno.”

But before I knew it, things started opening up again and I found myself at small concerts and a surprisingly hefty amount of burlesque shows. More surprising, at least to me, was that all these performers that I had been photographing on stage, were asking me to come to other shows and photograph them. It was a terrific confidence booster to have all these talented performers, who are constantly being photographed, tell me that they loved how I captured, not just their performance, but the essence of their character and their art. Admittedly, sometimes that may have been by accident, but that’s our secret. Haha!

So here we are today. I’m not where I’d like to be professionally yet, I have a way to go for that. But I am very busy photographing the burlesque scene in Los Angeles. I have developed personal relationships with many of the performers so that they’re comfortable working with me off the stage. I’ve had some photographs featured in art galleries, been published in a number of pinup magazines, and have even started my own photography publication, Neon Vampire Magazine. I definitely feel like things are heading in the right direction.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I think in a lot of ways I’ve been very fortunate. I’ve only been actively pursuing photography full time for about four years, but due to the nature of where and what I shoot, I’m surrounded by extremely encouraging people. Not just burlesque performers and musicians, but other photographers. I still kinda feel like the new kid on the block but no one has ever made me feel like I didn’t deserve to be right next to them, snapping pictures. Over the months and years, very well known photographers would wave me up to where they were, give me tips, just chat with me about random shit at shows, and send me messages telling me how much they could see my photography improving. It’s been very welcoming.

I do deal with some limitations because I can’t afford to upgrade my gear yet, so I’m working with some older equipment. It’s by no means junk, (Canon 5D Mark III) but I don’t have the luxury of features that new cameras have, that would make shooting in some scenarios much easier. Fortunately, my background in film, and the fact that I’m 52, means I’m comfortable going old school. I like to think of it like I’m driving a 1974 AMC Javelin AMX, but holding my own against a 2024 Tesla. (throws up devil horns)

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I absolutely didn’t choose it, and I never would have expected it, but I’m definitely most well known as a photographer for my work at burlesque shows. I shoot pretty much anything I can, and I love doing photoshoots with models, but my social media and the photos I’m most often tagged in, are burlesque. Believe me, I’m not complaining.

First of all, I think it’s important to recognize that every photographer, unless they’re specifically trying to recreate someone else’s work, has a unique perspective. Even if we shoot the same subject, we’re seeing it differently. Differences might be subtle to the casual observer, but they’re there. That being said, what I’m most proud of -is- what, I think, sets me apart from other photographers. It’s funny because for a long time, I didn’t even know I was doing it. I just did it and it was only after speaking with a few burlesque performers about it, that they brought it up and I was like, “holy crap, you’re right!”

Since I have a background in film, I tend to shoot every picture, whether it’s a live performance or a photoshoot, as though I was filming a scene for a movie. I don’t even use a flash. I hate using a flash. When I’m shooting a model, I set whatever light I need up as though it’s a scene and I shoot that way. It’s this perspective that performers pick up on when they see how I’ve captured them. They see me telling the story they’re telling on stage, in pictures. I also have a knack for taking photographs of a live performance, but presenting it in a way that actually looks like a staged shot. I don’t get it right every time, but when I nail it, I’m super proud of the results. I think I’m actually better at shooting live performances, but I’m constantly trying to improve all my skill sets, so we shall see how it goes.

The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
As I mentioned, I was only just getting started when Covid hit, so it didn’t have a huge impact on what I was doing. I will say, however, (and I’m not sure how much of this is Covid related or just my own moral compass) but I have canceled shoots because someone just wasn’t feeling well. I don’t think the picture is more important than anyone’s health.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesilent13studios
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Silent13Studios
• Other: https://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/2839000

Image Credits
My personal photo is by Courtney Gail with Just Another Shot Photography.