Matthew Lofton Photography Updates

Calendars!!!

2008-12-17T10:31:00.007-05:00

It's that time again. My 2009 photography calendars are available for sale.
This year, they are a larger size and still the same great quality.
$30 will get you a 20.8" x 13" (unfolded) full color calendar containing over 80 of my photographs from the last year.

(cover)

(unfolded)

Please send me an email if you are interested: info @ matthewlofton.com

TrackDaze

2008-05-21T09:25:00.002-04:00

Pictures from the TrackDaze event at Summit Point (5.17-5.18.08) will be up by Friday morning.
Look for them HERE!

(A regular update will be coming soon.)

Makeover!

2008-02-04T08:00:00.000-05:00

I've been so frustrated at the way my site looks. I'm receiving more inquiries lately and I'm embarrassed that the content on my site is bland, out of date, and just plain boring.

Until I can find a web designer that can build me some new additions to my site, I've had to host my portfolio off site for the time being. The flash program I was using was just not cutting it as all the images looked blurry and just plain 'ol crappy. I don't want that to be a representation of my work.

I also updated my ABOUT section with a new bio and the portfolio is almost done. Thanks for everyone's patience.

**If you, or someone you know is a web designer and would like to barter the price or a portion of the price for some of my photography; by all means, contact me! My information can be found all over the site.**

Calendars are in!!!!

2007-11-28T08:42:00.000-05:00

My calendars are in and ready to ship, deliver, or for you to pick up.
My original understanding was that the calendars would be in a 10x13 size. When they arrived at my house, they were 8x10. That really bothered me, but not as much as the cost of each calendar was the same. (that means I have to sell them for the same price of $30) It was a misunderstanding on my part and I take full blame. Next year, however, they will be the 10x13 size.

On a lighter note...they look awesome! The colors are vibrant, the pictures are sharp and it's really neat seeing my work in the form of a calendar. What's even better, is that people are actually buying them not only for themselves, but also to give as gifts.

I am very thankful for everyone's support!!!

2008 Calendars!!!

2007-11-14T09:49:00.000-05:00

Now taking orders for my 2008 calendar

They are professionally done in full color, wire bound and sized at 8"x10" (closed) and 16"x10" (open)
I made a few last year, gave them away as Christmas presents and they came out wonderful.
Each month will have 2-3 large pictures plus smaller ones down below and will be a photograph that i've taken over the past year.
I'm placing the order for the first batch this week, so let me know if you're interested.

Pricing is $30 per calendar and I'll even pay for the shipping if you're not local.

(here is an sample image of the calendar and how August will look)

random thoughts and other news.

2007-10-24T10:17:00.000-04:00

I just got off the phone with a friend and she was expressing her frustration with Photoshop. That conversation reminded me of one I had about a month ago, helping someone out with their newly acquired DSLR camera.

So, what if I started doing classes or private instruction. I wonder if there is a market for these things in this area.
Themes such as, but not limited to:
- "Understanding your DSLR"
- "How to take better action shots"
- "Photoshop and your pictures: What a difference a few clicks can make"

I'm going to look into that a bit more.

2008 calendars are in the makings. My goal is to have them laid out, printed and in hand by mid November. I am taking pre-orders so I can get an approximate amount to print. If any of you are interested, please let me know.

...from the phone

2007-10-07T10:59:00.001-04:00

I'm currently at Summit Point Raceway shooting for TrackDaze, and I just took my 10,000th photo with my Canon 1D MK III. That's a lot of shooting, especially since I just got the camera on Memorial Day weekend. So what's the shutter life of this camera?

A lot of sports!

2007-09-28T09:22:00.000-04:00

Fall is good for only a few things:
• Getting to sleep with the windows open
• Beautiful colors in nature
• Sports starting back up in schools

For those of you who know me well, know that I love shooting sports. There's just something about being on the sideline of a football/soccer game or under the basket of a basketball game and getting the shots that tell a story and are full of emotion and excitement. Maybe it stems from my love of all sports; playing, not necessarily watching on T.V.

Let's get on to the pictures!
Here are a few of my favorites from the past few weeks.

FULL GALLERY HERE!

FULL GALLERY HERE!

FULL GALLERY HERE!

FULL GALLERY HERE!

Finally! (deep sigh)

2007-09-16T23:10:00.001-04:00

I have all (for now) of the photos from my trip to California uploaded. It only took me a little over a week, but they're done. Now all I have left to do is go through pictures from football, volleyball, 3 soccer games, an autocross and rallyecross; among others.

Stay tuned and make sure you view the completed East Meets West Gallery. Some samples from the last 3 days:

Lake Mead at Hoover Dam

Vegas

Our 13th and final state of the trip

I love the natural lighting in this shot

Hello!

Pacific Beach on the left coast!

day 8 pictures

2007-09-15T12:36:00.000-04:00

I've been putting off working on the pictures from day 8 for a few reasons:
1. Laziness.
2. I took a lot of pictures at the Grand Canyon and they all seem to look the same.
3. I'm sick of editing pictures.

Here are a few, and as always, you can see the rest in my East Meets West Gallery

Maybe looking back at it now, it was a bit dangerous...but we hiked to a point where no body else was and we were all alone. If felt good to be away from the crowds and this point was the furthest point protruding into the canyon. Wonderful views!

BFF's on the edge of the aforementioned point

Were the rest of the tourists were (and that's with a 70mm lens)

Me trying to be gangsta

Sunrise

day 7 pictures

2007-09-12T11:40:00.001-04:00

In the morning of day 7, we hiked to the top of tent rocks. It was beautiful weather with beautiful views.
The rest can be found in my East Meets West Gallery
To the top is where we were headed:

The "tent rocks"

Our tour guides, Alan and Andrea:

On our way to the Grand Canyon, we pulled over to take pics of the amazing sunset!

day 6 pictures are up!

2007-09-11T11:49:00.000-04:00

Day six was from Roswell, NM, to Albuquerque, NM to meet up and stay with an old friend. Alan and Andrea have to be the best hosts i have ever had while out of town. Great food, company, accommodations, and tours of the town. Thanks again.

You can find the rest of the pictures HERE!

Roswell was a little boring, but we did get to see an alien:

The drive through NM: Straight, boring, desolate, with nice clouds

That's Albuquerque down there. We were almost 11,000 ft. above sea level

Until the next update...

back home

2007-09-10T09:40:00.000-04:00

I'm back home, back at work and I couldn't be happier. *rolls eyes*

Anyway, I'm s l o w l y getting to my pictures. I do have shots from days 4 and 5 up in my East Meets West Gallery.

A few samples:

update: end of day 11

2007-09-07T14:42:00.000-04:00

Day 11 marked my last day of the trip. We spent the first part of the afternoon at the zoo. The San Diego Zoo, in my opinion, puts the zoo in D.C. to shame. They had everything, including polar bears, panda bears, pigs, deer, eagles, snakes, flamingos, and koalas. That's not even half of it. It was amazing! The second part of the day we spent at Pacific Beach. I can't speak for other west coast beaches, but this one had such a different feel than ones on the east coast. The average age seemed to be somewhere in the late 20's to early 30's and a large percentage of them were surfing. That sure beats the "family" beaches with no waves that I'm more familiar with over here.

After the beach, we headed home so I could pack up for my 10:50 pm direct flight back to Dulles. I have two words. Jet Blue. The flight crew was nice, the leather seats were super comfy, there was a ton of leg room, they served more snacks on this red eye than any other flight I have been on, and the 40 some DirecTV channels in the headrest of the seat in front of me, made for a very easy flight. For those of you that really know me, know that I have a hard time sitting still and a 5 hour flight by myself just might be a problem.

Overall the trip was great. I would do it again in a heartbeat!!

It's kind of weird, yet exciting, that a trip which endend in San Diego for me, is the beginning of an all new experience for Caleb and his career. Good Luck, Caleb. You'll be missed here on the east coast, but we all know you'll do a great job and make a huge impact wherever you go.

new pictures:

2007-09-05T23:44:00.000-04:00

I added some pictures in my East Meets West Gallery of the Oklahoma City memorial. We stopped there on day 3 while on our way to Austin, Tx from St. Louis, MO.

update: end of days 9-10

2007-09-04T23:39:00.000-04:00

Day nine took us from the Grand Canyon to Las Vegas, NV. The neat thing about that drive is that you have to cross over the Hoover Dam. Obviously, we stopped to take some pictures. As soon as we got out of the car, we were greeted with some extreme and unnecessary heat. I pulled up the weather on my phone and it showed it to be in the triple digits with an excessive heat warning. They were expecting the highs to be around 107 for that day and the next. gross. After a quick picture taking session, we headed back to the car and off to Vegas.

Vegas. We arrived after a quick stop at Sonic and then checked into our room. We stayed at the Imperial Palace, as it was only $50, and we could tell why. The room had southern-Florida-retirement-trailer-park-home decor, paired with cinderblocks covered in a sheet and a blanket. Thankfully it was only for one night. I showed Caleb around the town, he rode all three rides on top of the Stratosphere, we had caricatures made by a girl originally from Frederick, MD, took some pictures of the sights and then called it a night.

Day 10 was our last day on the road. We spent a little bit of the morning walking around Vegas before heading off to our final destination, San Diego, CA. But, first we stopped at Sonic so Caleb could get breakfast and I could get lunch and banana milkshake #6. YUM!!!!!!!!
The drive was boring, long, and hot! We drove through Death Valley, the home of the world's largest thermometer, which read a temp. of 108. yuck. We finally arrived in San Diego, our final destination, around 6:00pm. Caleb took me to see Studio West, his new place of employment, before heading off to his new house. We drove around the city a bit, grabbed some dinner, and then called it a night.

I can't believe we finally made it to the left coast. We have almost a full day to explore before I catch my flight home and back to the real world.

...from the phone

2007-09-03T17:28:00.001-04:00

Sonic banana milkshake #5!

...from the phone

2007-09-03T15:54:00.001-04:00

DAM!

update: end of day 8

2007-09-03T11:30:00.000-04:00

Grand Canyon. Big. (nuff said)

We spent the whole day at the Canyon. The first few points we went to, happened to also be the main points for most all other tourists, especially those without access to a vehicle. Caleb and I found a few spots that were lower, more secluded, with better views, but also a lot harder to get to and scarier. I was surprised on how much it's not restricted. If you had the nerves to attempt to get to a spot, you could. Granted, the main spots had fences, brick walls, etc..

After quite a bit of hiking, climbing and taking pictures, we headed back to the hotel for lunch/dinner, a shower and some rest. We then headed out to see the sun set over the Canyon and were blown away. (not literally) The sunset was a nice change. I was getting a little bored with taking pics of the Canyon from different angles and views.

This morning, we woke up at 4:45 to get the sunrise over the eastern part of the Canyon. Amazing, simply amazing.

I have mow added on my list of things to do one day, that i want to hike down into the bottom and to the other side. One day.

Off to Vegas!!

update: end of day 7

2007-09-02T00:12:00.000-04:00

Man, I wish I was caught up on my pictures so that I could put some up as I update.

This morning we headed out to a place called Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks. Alan and Andrea thought we would enjoy this spot, and we did. The hike was easy, about 1.3 miles each way, and the views from the top were breathtaking. Not only were the "tent rocks" amazing, but the fact that you could see forever made me, again, fall in love with the outdoor activities that NM has to offer.

Of course, since it was Saturday, we stopped at Burger King for lunch before heading out to the Grand Canyon. We arrived at the small town, just outside of the south entrance to the Canyon around 11:00 pm. Since AZ doesn't participate in daylight savings time, they're on Pacific Standard Time this part of the year. Kind of confusing. The town was dead. The very few restaurants and shops closed up early as there's not much traffic through the town at that time of night year.

I'm getting excited to see what the Canyon has to offer!

update: end of day 6

2007-09-01T10:09:00.000-04:00

My last entry was from Thursday afternoon when we arrived in Roswell, NM. I didn't post anything from that night, well, because nothing went on. I guess we could have sat outside with our cameras waiting to see some UFO's, but instead we decided to order some pizza, relax, and take full advantage of the good internet.

Friday morning we enjoyed some nice continental breakfast, (finally) and headed out to a UFO museum. It was very cheesy, not so well put together, but still fun. Of course, I had to get a banana milkshake before leaving town, (my fourth one) then we headed off to Albuquerque, NM to stay with some friends of mine. I decided to drive the whole 200 miles since I'm not very good at sitting still in the passenger seat.

After a quick lunch, we arrived at Alan and Andrea's house somewhere around 4:00pm. Since we only had a little less than a day in Alburquerque, they decided to take us up into the the Sandia mountains. Leaving the house around 6:30, we arrived at our destination, which is just under 11,000 ft, in time to see the sun set. The views from up there are amazing. It's almost a 360˚ non obstructed view of the surrounding areas. Breathtaking. The air up there seems so pure, easy to breathe, and very relaxing. Caleb and I both got some cool pictures, especially with the huge lightning storm that was off in the distance. We got back around 9:00 and were served homemade spiced pepper soup, fajitas, and creme brulee. Homemade food is a nice change and it also allowed me to try some new foods, which I actually liked.

So, now we're off to another scenic spot before heading out to the Grand Canyon.

-Take care.

...from the phone

2007-08-31T20:00:00.000-04:00

update: end of day 5

2007-08-31T01:13:00.000-04:00

Ok, i was going to type a bunch of stuff about the past 2 days but I want to keep it short. So, I'm going to do this in list form, or no real structured form at all. We'll see how this goes.

Yesterday: (Austin, TX)
- Slept in
- Went downtown to explore
- Toured the amazing state capital building. It's the second largest dome capital in the country and larger than the US capital in DC.
- Shopped a bit in southern Austin and it's weird shops
- Tried to catch the bats take flight from under the bridge, but it was too dark and rainy.
- Met up with a (new) friend to watch some bands and ate some really nice Mexican food.
- Went back to the hotel and to bed.

Today:
- Woke up and drove to San Antonio. (beautiful city and I wish I had more time there)
- Viewed the Alamo. (small, kind of disappointing)
- Drove some more and headed to Roswell, NM
- Speed limit turned to 80.
- I got a speeding warning
- Clouds were amazing!
- Stopped off to refuel and ate at Sonic. Yum!
- Crossed into NM. Boring roads and Roswell is the first town that appeared to still have people living there.
- Ordered some pizza and took it easy since the internet at eh hotel is actually good for once on this trip.

I finally started a gallery on my pbase page and finally got the pictures up from St. Louis. Below are a few samples.

Take care everyone!

The Arch at sunrise

Me shooting Caleb, shooting the arch

heading up the the top of the arch

...from the phone

2007-08-30T13:11:00.001-04:00

My favorite clouds!!! Texas is beautiful.

update: end of day 3

2007-08-29T02:18:00.000-04:00

Yesterday in St. Louis was great. We got there around 4pm, checked into the hotel where we could see the arch from our room. We quickly made our way across the street, to the arch and took pictures before going up to the top. After a very small elevator type ride and a 630 ft incline, we were at the top. The views were great and it was surprisingly small inside. I bailed out for the evening around 9:00pm as I was feeling very dizzy and exhausted. I knew we had a long day today and I needed some rest. I had been running on very little sleep the previous 2 days.

We just arrived in Austin, TX, it's 1:00 am and a bit later than what we had planned. We left St. Louis, MO at 8:00am this morning and drove 525 miles straight (minus a stop for gas and Sonic) to Oklahoma City, OK, to view the memorial. Gorgeous! From there, Caleb took over at the wheel and drove the remaining 390 miles to Austin. Apparently, they are working on the road every 10 miles or so staring at Fort Worth and continuing south. So, what should have taken us 6 hours (according to Google Maps) took us 7 1/2. I wasn't prepared for the extra time on the road. I surprisingly handled it well and sat kinda still. Right now, it's off to bed and hoping to get some much needed sleep tonight. Until next time...

I promise to get pictures up by the end of the day tomorrow!!

Notes for the past 2 days: (in no particular order)

The speed limit in OK is 75! Add 5-7 mph on top of that and it makes for a nice ride that doesn't take as long.
Magazines would have been a nice way to pass the time, especially after your phone (games, internet, etc...) dies.
I sure am glad I brought a new bottle of Ibuprofen.
I'm still a little scared of heights; especially when looking 630 feet straight down.
What I heard pronounced as "Dievus" is actually supposed to be "Davis." Silly OK accents.
The Blue Merle album still gives me goose bumps.
We've spotted 40 out of the 50 state license plates. We even got one from Alaska.