Today we’d like to introduce you to Matthew Palpal-Latoc.
Matthew, before we jump into specific questions about your work, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Photography has always intrigued me. Being able to capture a moment in a split second and creating an entire story with that one, simple snapshot is a powerful thing.
At first, I dove into photography merely as a hobby and used it as a creative outlet. I never took my photography seriously until about three years ago when a couple of friends and I decided to have a shoot for a couple of Instagram photos as most people our age would do. The more and more shoots we had, the more I found myself enjoying the whole process of creating a picture. From the setup, the background, the model, the pose, the composition, all of it. Later on, I decided to create an Instagram profile solely dedicated to my own work and after a few months of casually posting on there, one particular photo got featured on another page and an obscene amount of traffic to my page.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely has not been a smooth road, but it also has not been a very difficult one. I didn’t start out with the most amazing camera or lens, but I didn’t come from nothing. When first starting out with my Instagram page, I had people say that I was “stealing their knowledge or passion” or “doing it all for the likes.” I was told I was wasting my time and money in investing in something that won’t have any real financial return, but that didn’t matter to me. My motive with my photography was not to become “Instagram famous” or an “influencer.” I simply just wanted a place to share all the work I created with my friends, and it will always remain that way.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
Simply put, I take pictures of what I like. I like going out and exploring the world. I like having shot with my friends, I like capturing close, intimate moments of family and loved ones, I just like being genuine. And that is probably what makes me stand out, someone who doesn’t follow all of the trends or creates content because it’s what does well on Instagram, but someone who just creates and posts what I want because it’s what I like.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Being able to be myself and express myself when shooting alone or when shooting with others. Especially when shooting with others, the best results come from when everyone is comfortable with themselves and the environment. I feel like I create an environment where the model does not need to feel like they have to look a certain way in order to create an incredible image.
Pricing:
- $75/hr ~ Portrait Shoots
Contact Info:
- Phone: 8582482634
- Email: 13mpalpallatoc@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/m.palpallatoc/
Image Credit:
Westlund Photography
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