Matty Graham

Turning his redundancy into a positive, Matty now uses his Canon DSLR to pay his salary as a successful professional video and still-image content creator

Embracing video has enabled me to tell stories in a more dynamic medium

iused to be the editor of a photography magazine, but was made redundant back in 2016 when it was merged with another magazine. Losing your job can be soul-crushing, but luckily for me it was actually a blessing in disguise as it gave me the freedom to go freelance. Today video and still images are my currency.

My Canon journey goes back twenty years to the EOS 3000 film DSLR and stretches right up to the 5D Mark IV,

taking in no less than 12 models in between, such as the 10D, 40D, 7D and 6D to name but a few.

On assignment, no two days are the same. The jobs vary wildly from shooting music videos with grime artists, to working with charities to produce videos that will help improve the quality of life for children who struggle to communicate.

Embracing video has enabled me to tell stories in a more dynamic medium, but the principles of producing movies were learned with photography and are totally transferable. Along with the videos, I’m a professional landscape photographer, and have worked with tourism boards in Norway and the Faroe Islands to showcase the beauty of their country.

I’m drawn to remote Nordic territories where the landscapes are wild and the Northern Lights sparkle overhead. Switching from video production to stills photography often means my equipment has to be versatile and portable, along with reliable and ergonomic.