The Costco Connection

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