Matt Schwartz

Matt is a musician turned photographer. He was born in Brooklyn and spent a lot of time with his grandparents in Coney Island. They were the ones that introduced me to this magical place that led to his first series of work.

"My attraction to Polaroids came before this instantaneous world of digital photography and has actually grown stronger, since digital. It was amazing to take a picture and hold it in my hand a few minutes later, while I was still in that same scene. The images were the past but they were also the present. Early on I found that it gave a microphone to my voice as a photographer. Once I started playing around with transfers, it became a challenge, as I did not want to hide in the process. Most of the work I saw was taken by people that were so psyched to do the process, that they forgot to add anything of themselves."

Matt uses Polaroid and film to create his signature style of imagery. uses Polaroids to capture surfing in a unique, storytelling way. His process is called Polaroid transfer. Matt takes pictures using a Polaroid camera, pulls apart the film and then rubs the negative onto watercolor paper. The result is a cross between a vintage photograph and a painting.
In June of 2009 he released a timeless series of images from recent trips to Ecuador and Costa Rica. His images speak of the gloried past of surfing with a modern touch. Schwartz creates his signature style of visual poems with Polaroids, Transfers and Flim. His work consists of Surf Culture, Women and Travel.
This current collection of work was photographed in New York, California, Peru, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Portugal, Brazil, The Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Hawaii.
While each body of work is exclusively his own vision, Schwartz has collaborated with global brands including Levis, The Ace Hotel, Sixty Hotels, Anthropologie, Billabong, Bloomingdales and Wanderlust Festivals.
His work has been featured in W Magazine, NYLON, Details, Design Sponge, Apartment Therapy, Design Milk, among others.