Today we’d like to introduce you to Matthew Piper.
Hi Matthew, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I specialize in high resolution, high dynamic range fine art infrared photography, in both black & white and color. From 2002-2007, I sold my artwork predominantly to those living in and visiting California, mostly as hand-colored originals, but I had to put my film cameras away when Kodak and Konica stopped making infrared film. Very sad. Teaching gigs and various degrees kept me away from my love of photography until 2015, when I got my first digital SLR.
It has been absolutely thrilling to return to my love of fine art photography. My main focus is on single-exposure color infrared photographs. To shoot infrared, I had the internal infrared filter removed, making my Canon 5Ds-r full-spectrum. I shoot with various L-series lenses and a range of filters to achieve various effects. I do very little manipulation of my images; my editing process is generally a few minutes per image. It is the special camera system and filters I use that create the unique palette of hues and tones in my photographs. In this way, my work is more an example of the evolution of traditional photography than it is “digital art.”
I think of my work as “dreamscapes,” or as still photography’s version of “magical realism.” Photographing already beautiful locations in color infrared gives them a surreal quality that takes the artwork to a new expressive level. One reason I am so excited to share my work is that it is an extremely rare type of photography. I am always happy to hear investors tell me they’ve never seen anything like it. Color infrared photography is due to catch on in a more mainstream way – since it captures both natural beauty and emotional awe – and it’s amazing to see its popularity grow as investors discover this unique emerging artform.
While I sell my work as limited editions, I can also create a hand-colored original for any piece upon request. Each original is one of a kind, since I add the watercolors by hand.
You can see more of work – especially recent work I haven’t had time to add to this website – at my Instagram gallery @matthew_stuart_piper. I am the art director administrator of the most dynamic infrared hub on Instagram: @infrared_global. I am proud to feature the largest gamut of infrared photographers of any social media site in the world.
I am thankful to have had strong support from the infrared community, including sponsorships from Cokin, Hoyafilters, and Kolarivision. Check them out on Facebook and Instagram – links available on my Instagram page.
When not creating artwork, I earned a PhD in philosophy and cognitive science at UC San Diego. I have published on the nature of consciousness. My dissertation is a defense of an original neuroscientific explanation for the experience of the passing of time.
Feel free to contact me with comments, questions or commissions at iammatthewpiper@gmail.com.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
The development of my art technique has been very rewarding and basically smooth, with sales really shooting up after covid allowed art fairs again.
There have been 3 struggles:
(1) Infrared photography is a unique and growing, but still small niche. This means not all potential investors relate enough to the medium to give it a chance. (But those that are attracted to it, eagerly tell me they’ve never seen anything like it.)
(2) Covid shut down art fairs for a year.
(3) I don’t yet have the financial luxury to continually travel to produce new content. Other photographers are complimentary of the size of my collection; however, I would really like to be shooting more in the national parks and, especially, in Europe and internationally.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Earlier, I gave an overview bio, which included many answers to those questions, but, succinctly, I am a 100% specialist in high-resolution, high hue range infrared photography – a very uncommon form of photography.
With a special camera and various filters, I combine visible and invisible (infrared) light to create landscape images of color and tonal glow. Aside from that my personal specialty is photographic composition. Growing up drawing all the time, it helped me form an intuitive sense for strong compositions.
I am known as a world leader in the infrared community through my non-for-profit Instagram page, @infrared_global. I do not feature my own work there; I only try to popularize the medium and compliment other infrared photographers.
What sets me apart from other infrared photographers is the size of my art production and the continually changing color choices I make.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
My homemade editing techniques combined with my sense of composition – and for sales, the fact that I generally enjoy meeting new people and send a lot of good energy their way when they’re considering an art investment.
Pricing:
- $175 for 12×18 metal prints
- $275 for 24×36 metal prints
- $375 for 20×30 metal prints
- $500 for 24×36 metal prints
- $1500 for 40×60 metal prints
Contact Info:
- Email: iammatthewpiper@gmail.com
- Website: www.matthewstuartpiper.com
- Instagram: @Matthew_stuart_piper
Image Credits
Matthew Stuart Piper
