We were lucky to catch up with Matthew Deere recently and have shared our conversation below.

Matthew, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Innovation comes in all shapes, sizes and across all industries, so we’d love to hear about something you’ve done that you feel was particularly innovative.

I started out as a visual artist as a kid, drawing then painting. I crafted my illustration style during my college years and afterward, and enjoyed career success as a designer for many years. Leading up to my position as a packaging designer at Mattel Toys, I was exposed to art direction of packaging photo shoots.

I had played around with cameras for years, but I didn’t have a clue as to how lighting worked. After I got laid off in March of 2015, I was faced with the realization that I was not immune to being cut at any company, and needed to reinvent myself a bit.

It wasn’t innovative to go back to school to learn photography lighting. I knew I had to do it. Photography was the only thing I could think of that I loved more than breathing. I even bought a medium format Hasselblad camera system, pushing the Zenith of my understanding with extreme image fidelity with such a large sensor. As I have been shooting with lights now for ten years, I have also been shooting video in various formats, including full frame canon and sony gear as well as iphone.

The innovative thing for me, was that I was able to self teach myself the craft of video editing to tell a story. I always knew I would do something with video later, I just didn’t know how I was going to do it, to bridge the gap of my skillset. During the COVID period is where I finally learned how to edit using Premiere Pro. It’s been so exciting to combine all of my skills, design, photography and video in the editing space, and I cannot wait to do more.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I graduated from the University of Tennessee with a BFA in graphic design/illustration and moved to LA in 2008. I paid my way through school doing creative things like T-shirt designs and paint schemes for race cars. This experience was key in getting my foot in the door at Mattel Toys, where I was initially hired as a packaging designer for my favorite kid brand, Hot Wheels. I also worked on a lot of licensed properties at Mattel. I gained a lot of experience directing photoshoots for toy packaging. I really enjoyed being in the photo studio while watching the photographers work at their lighting set ups. It was amazing to see a studio come to life with all the lighting gear, props, stylists and model talent. After seven years at Mattel, I went back to school to learn the art of studio photography. This is where my life changed forever! Learning how to shape and control light in the studio has galvanized my passion for photography, and is altogether enthralling. My focus is to showcase influential people interacting with product while defining and promoting the brand.

I also do headshots, lifestyle photography, and product photography but my focus has always been on “people” photography.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

To other creatives out there, don’t think a particular piece of gear is “it”. That somehow it is going to transform your awareness to others, or build your followers. That is a very large (Marge) misconception. It’s “WHAT YOU DO” with the gear you have that is important. I thought if I started shooting with an expensive medium format camera, it would somehow lead to more business growth. I love the Hasselblad, and it’s imaging prowess is nothing short of amazing. However, it is hard to use, and difficult to focus compared to modern DSLR’s that have facial recognition software, and eye tracking focus. I learned the hard way that spending a lot of money on gear, isn’t any way of expanding your business. Being creative is still the best way to outshine your competition. And getting good marketing help.

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

Still a side hustle, I am not slowing down in my resilience of wanting this to really grow. I’ve been shooting for years, since I was in grade school when I used my Father’s 35mm Minolta camera. Been shooting with lights now for ten years. I don’t want to slow down, ever. I learn new things every time I shoot a camera, and that’s one of the most exciting parts about shooting cameras for me. It keeps me going, and engaged. Almost all of my business to date has been through direct contacts, and only a small percentage of clients I have gotten through advertising via Yelp, and other digital platforms. I don’t think I have gotten any work via social media. Key milestones, were shooting my first wedding almost 5-years ago, to doing my first big corporate headshot job where I was able to shoot over 40 people in one day.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.locoemo.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/locomotive_emotion/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Locomotive-Emotion-Studio-100071404127508/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/locomotive-emotion-studio/?viewAsMember=true

Image Credits

Geronimo Sims, Rossana & Tim, DJ Celeste Lear, Nikki Hru, Ethan Deere, Bruce Rubenstein, Valery Goldes, Megan & Grant