Photographers to follow on Flickr MCSnowHammer

Most of Mattias work is made with a modified dslr to shoot infrared. You can see how this turns his work into something really original! But the modifications don't take any merit from his photographic eye wich is fantastic! He shoots landscapes mostly, but these transform into something out of a fantasy dream, out of his rich mind. And when you find Mattias you will be waiting for the next time he pulls you into another of his amazing landscapes!

Interview

-Tell me a little about you

I live in Gothenburg, Sweden. Born 1970. My day job is programming, mostly mobile phones. Apart from taking photos, my main interest is skiing. I've currently taken 6 months leave of absence from work to be able to travel and take photos in new environments.

-How did the interest for photography started?

It was probably in the year 2000, when i got my first digital camera. It was one of the first Canon Ixus models. I got it as a birthday present. I used it quite a lot, especially while skiing. After a few years, i bought other compacts. I really liked the Casio Exilim EX-FH20. I used it much for filming my friends doing crazy stuff in the slopes in slow-motion.

In 2009 i bought a Canon EOS 550D. That really got me started. I got many lenses and filters. One day i bought the Hoya R72 infrared filter. To make a long story short: A few months later, i had converted my camera to shoot infrared. I'm completely amazed by the surreal light and contrast IR gives.

-Is photography a fulltime thing or just a hobby?

It's a hobby. But a quite serious one. I'm currently traveling New Zealand and Australia for 4 months, and photography is the main reason i'm here. I haven't made any money on photograph yet, but i hope to do so. There are so many ways, and different sites out there. I don't know wich way to go yet.

-How would you describe your style?

That's a hard question. I haven't tried to describe it before. The IR itself makes everything a bit surreal and fairytale like. Add long exposure and water to that, and you'll get motion into it as well. I don't like to mimic other photos. and these things make your photos stand a bit more. My favorite editing tool is Silver Exex Pro II. It's a great software to turn your IR photos to BW, and make them come alive.

-What do you like to photograph?

Water is my absolute favorite subject. And if i use my "normal" non-converted camera, i like to shoot action photos. Like surfing and skiing.

-Why?

You can do so much with water. Rivers, waterfalls, waves and rain even. Even if you try, it's hard to make two photos look alike. It's a great source for variation. Especially when you use different shutter speeds. Action photos are also naturally different all the time.

-Where do you find your inspiration?

Very much from other photos. Especially on Flickr. That's where i first saw IR-photos. And nature itself of course. Some coastlines here in New Zealand are simply amazing, and you can spend hours watching how seascapes change with the tide. But lots of times it's just what you accidentally como across that's gonna be your best shot of the day. The most important thing is to pack your gear and head out. Something always comes up if you have patience.

-If you could do a project with another photographer who would you choose?

There is one photographer in Flickr that does extremely long exposures photos. Vassilis Tangoulis (www.flickr.com/photos/vtango_photography/)He does really nice edits, most of them in black and white. To combine that with IR, would be very interesting.

-If you had to recommend 5 photographers from Flickr who would you choose?

I always look forward to these photographers new posts:

Katarine 2353: Does amazing colorful landscapes with dramatic mountains, clouds and fields. www.flickr.com/photos/jup3nep/

Tattogirl12: Beautiful photos with an artistic touch. All photos are accompanied with quote from a poet or philoso+her. www.flickr.com/photos/51855302@N05/

farbspiel: A master in the art of HDR. Lots of colors and details without overdoing it. www.flickr.com/photos/farbspiel/

szefi: Great pure photos. She has a true photographic eye. www.flickr.com/photos/szefi/

fishmonger45: Uniqueness, does hilarious and funny collages with an imagination as none else. Always cheers me up. www.flickr.com/photos/fishmonger45/

-And 5 photographers outised Flickr?

Ansel Adams, of course.

Larry Laurie, i noticed him in the Gammelgaard Monochrome photo competition.

Then to be honest, i'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to other photographers. I've only recently found an interest to visit art and photo galleries. I'm sure that if you ask that question in a year, i'll have a much more comprehensive answer.

-What would you like to be doing 5 years from now?

Keep taking photos. And hopefully make money on it. And use whatever new technical wonder that inevitable would have appeared on the market by then. Maybe even have had an exhibition with prints of my own photos.

Thank you Mattias!

You can visit his photostream here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/51291947@N07/