ily open for shooting for the public. So it also has to
be that bobbing and weaving around and trying to
get it before anybody yells at us,” says Matter, who
adds that he’s never been arrested or gotten in trouble for his work.
His shots are often practiced in alternate locations. Once he and his subjects are ready, they’ll run
to the real location and attempt to shoot it as fast as
possible. That can take anywhere from five minutes
to half a day. “It really depends on the shot. I’ll keep
shooting until I get it,” he says.
Oftentimes, the subjects’ athletic abilities will
inspire the story that Matter aims to tell. His shoots
frequently become performances in and of them-
selves; crowds of bystanders often gather, curious to
see what the dancers, performers and athletes are
doing, and sometimes become part of the shot.
The most rewarding thing for Matter is hearing
reactions to his work. “I get posts or emails from
around the world—really moving, touching emails
about how the images make [people] feel,” he says.
“I’ve gotten a lot of emails from people with autistic
children who say there’s something about these
images that these kids are really responding to.
They’re drawing and painting the images again, or
trying to take photographs like that, or whatever.
It’s been great just to see the reaction of people. It’s
been really exciting.”
Matter has since created Athletes Among Us and
Life of the Circus, which feature athletes and circus
performers respectively in everyday situations. He is
currently working on two book projects, including
Tiny Dancers Among Us (featuring children 12 and
younger), slated for release in 2017. C
The Costco Connection
Find cameras, digital storage and other accessories
at Costco and at Costco.com. Costco’s Photo
Centers provide a range of creative photo services.
In our digital editions
Click here to watch a behind-the-scenes clip of Jordan Matter’s photo
shoots. (See page 13 for details.)