A BIT ABOUT ME
matthew minion
Welcome to my creative pad!
You are here and I thank you. A few trivial items that we need to clear up and a bit about me:
- No, my last name is not minion. It rolled out of my mind a few years back, rattled on my finger tips as I created a name for Instagram and a new persona dedicated to capturing places and things emerged. Hope you don't mind. My real name is Matthew Hartwig - for those that want to know. I've got nothing to hide - not yet anyways. :)
- What does it represent? There are so many excellent photographers and artists in the world today. I am just one of many. A minion in the masses, doing my level best to improve at this photography craft. So minion means one of many to me. It works.
- Areas of interest that I strive to capture: Landscapes, landmarks, the stars, battlefields and where I live, to name a few features. I've done my best to organize photos by genre and tags. You may see the same photo in multiple galleries - as the photo might be relevant to overlapping themes. I also have a section dedicated to iPhoneography. It's rewarding to capture an image that has impact and drives an emotional connection via that all-in-one tool in my pocket.
- When did I start this passion? My earliest memories of taking photos was when I lived on Governor's Island in the midst of New York City. Governor's Island was a US Coast Guard base in 1972. I was 7 and in 2nd grade. A wee little lad. My parents owned a Brownie style camera that was nothing more than a brown box with a small lens and a shutter. I would walk around the island and snap pictures of the base and the New York City skyline. I've lost those pictures over the years - but if I could find them, I would be ecstatic.
Then in 1979 I worked a summer construction job, between my 8th and 9th grade years. I saved my money and had to choose between a BMX bike (Mongoose Flat Track) or a Yashica FX2 SLR. I chose the Yashica FX2. I took pictures of my friends and events and learned to develop black and white film. I have a few of those photos and I'll put some of them up for old times sake.
Over the years since that summer, I have owned various cameras and took pictures when I could afford the film. One time I did a wedding for a friend, but borrowed another friends camera. Needless to say, I wasn't familiar with his camera and all of the photos didn't turn out. That was a bummer. The groom wasn't super happy - I could completely agree these days! I think I've improved a tad since then and I hope you enjoy what is on matthewminion.com today.
- That profile pic. What can I say, I can take nice pictures, but selfies aren't my jam. I don't know how to act or look in front of the camera. I'm not confessing that I yell at kids to get off my lawn, but it could allegedly happen from time to time. All in all I'm a laid back chap and don't mind a good bit of humor.
- I'm always up for a friendly chat - please follow me on Instagram and send me a message. My handle is below if you want to see what is going on. I'm also on Glass - where the serious photogs hang out with no advertisements and annoying spam.