New Fused Packs: Earth Textures, Urban Aesthetics

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Hi Gio, Matt Vega is a photographer from Brooklyn. He travels extensively and shares his journey on Instagram. Recently, Matt created some packs for Fused: “Earth Textures”, “Lights, Colors, Patterns”, and “Urban Aesthetics”. His packs will be available soon in the Fused store. We caught up with Matt to pick his brain about inspiration and the effects of mobile photography on the art form. Below is our interview. Enjoy and stay creative! Do you shoot mostly in Brooklyn? I shoot all over really, but I am situated in Brooklyn. I'm a massive fan of the West Coast! I need to explore it more.    What’s your favorite scenery to shoot? Nature is my personal favorite -- over street photography -- because of the breadth of possibilities and unexpected scenes you can stumble upon. I like to shoot any scene where functional meets beautiful. Plant life is a good example of this. So is urban life in NY. So how did you come to make packs for Fused? I had just launched my first web series and was shooting social content for some music sites. I bumped into Aaron and Val, and we started talking about Easy Tiger, and it turned out that I already owned a few of their apps. After checking out my work, they expressed interest in having me create some packs for Fused.   What’s the inspiration behind your packs? The inspiration for two of them, “Earth Textures” and “Urban Aesthetic”, came from the environments that city dwellers seek out. People in cities the size of New York are constantly working to maintain their lives in a typically fast-paced, cluttered, and concrete-centric space. One thing you notice when trying to "maintain" a semblance of sanity in this type of environment is that many folks (myself included) end up looking to escape to greener spaces whenever possible, whether it be a park nearby or a national park upstate… a return to nature, if you will. I wanted the “Urban Aesthetic” and “Earth Texture” packs to reflect this contradiction of choosing to live in the urban jungle and desiring to escape it for more natural settings.  Additionally I wanted all three packs to be both attractive and functional for use in Fused. Do you have a background in professional photography?  No, but I've had a penchant for photography for a long time. In high school I gave up my lunch to take a photography class which ended up being a good foundation of core camera skills and studio setup. From that point, I focused on other creative avenues including music, but photography was still always present.  In 2011 I started to really shift focus back to photography and started building on the skills that I already had. One way I've done this is through talking to as many visual artists as possible. For instance, while graphic design isn't necessarily photography, there are elements of composition that permeate both mediums, so I'll talk to graphic designers about technique and inspiration, etc.  What's your opinion on mobile photography? Has its effect on the photo industry been positive or negative? When it comes to mobile photography, I would say I’m a fan. First off, photography is a very expensive avenue for expressing creativity. You're typically looking at upwards of $1K for a decent lens, and $1-3K for a DSLR. Professional systems such as the Phase One or Hasselblad cost anywhere from $20-$50K.  With smartphones and quality camera sensors increasing at an exponential rate, the playing field has been leveled. People who have a great eye are no longer barred by the high cost of equipment. I think a good example is the recent Apple campaign "Shot On iPhone 6".  But having a good camera on your phone doesn't automatically afford you the title of photographer either. At the end of the day emotion and composition are still the key elements that make a photo worthwhile. Thanks for chatting with us Matt. Keep up the great work! You can find Matt's work on his Instagram. Try Fused for free.  Stay creative, friends!

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