May 1, 2017

Meet Matthew Leland of Matthew Leland Photography in San Fernando Valley

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Matthew Leland.

Matthew, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
As long as I can remember, I’ve always been an artist. From picking up pencils to markers to sculpting and carving, I’ve always had the desire to create and share my work. I picked up photography around high school, and after taking a class in film I really enjoyed the process. This was about the time digital photography began to rise. I’d fiddled around with it for fun for a while before picking up my first DSLR in 2009, a Canon 20D. After second shooting my first wedding with my sister, it not only re-awakened my interest in photography but allowed me a door to support and pay for it as well. From there I’ve spread from automotive shoots, on set promotional work, portraits and more. My love of vintage Americana shows in my work as well, with lots of classic cars, vintage props, and a very classy, pin-up styled feel to my portraits.

Has it been a smooth road?
Working for yourself is never a smooth road. It’s non-stop challenges, but they keep you on your toes and they keep you learning. A lot of people don’t realize that half of photography is the marketing: in this day of social media, you have to work hard to crawl to the top of the pile to get seen. It’s endless hours of promotion, coming up with new ideas, networking, and continuing to improve your craft. While daunting, sometimes those obstacles are the fuel you need to want more and continue to pursue.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Matthew Leland Photography – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
While I love all sorts of photography, I specialize in wedding photography and promotional work. I tend to work for those that think out of the box, and really want to push their advertising or style further than normal. That retro feel in my work along with the journalistic style of my work I think really separates me. It’s taken a long time to see my work develop and start to become a style that I can tell is now my work, and I’m very proud of that! I think my focus and attention on details is one of things that sets me apart… in the day in age of instant gratification, art still needs time and focus. Also, personality is everything! Everyone wants to work with someone that’s fun and has a blast while making quality work.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
The diversity of Los Angeles is just amazing. The more I explore it, the more I totally understand why the movie industry has flourished here. Give me less than two hours, I can see the ocean, the desert, the forests, the snow, the city and the country… it’s just amazing. I can get so much variety out of locations that I can always keep my creative side flowing and trying something new. As much as I would complain about the traffic, that’s not what bugs me… parking is what bugs me. I’ve lived up in Northern California most of my life and I’ve never gotten a parking ticket…. here, I’m filling up my glove compartment with them.

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