Matt Licari
Matt Licari – Photographer
Because of his interest in skateboarding, Matt quickly developed a love for art when it came to photographing other skaters, including himself. “There was a whole world within picture making that interested me more than just skate photography,” Matt says.
Born and raised in the Bronx, New York, Matt decided to become his own boss and in 2003, began creating art that made people feel special. He was so inspired by the photos he started taking early on. “[Photography] is vulnerable, sensitive and non-judgmental work – work that doesn’t shy from using beautiful light or feels like it was made without pretense or forcefully injected with contrived narratives. [Photography is] work that transports me and gives me a chance to feel connected or empathetic.”
Matt likes to specifically focus on black and white photos as they tend to capture raw moments and emotion and don’t distract audiences by different colors and contrasts which can be unpredictable at times. Because he started with film, he also wasn’t a fan of how the colors came out digitally. “I was unhappy with the color profiles available in comparison to film,” says Matt. “So For editorial and personal work, I began to pull saturation and start really concentrating on black and white. It also works well with documentaries which I was getting into at that point, because you have less control over the colors in a frame when you shoot documentary reportage. So black and white eliminates that concern. From early on, I was always taught that if color isn’t adding to the image, it’s probably taking away from it.”
When asked about the future of his photography career, Matt says that he has several long term projects that span over a decade of work. “I will probably do a physical book and then special NFT editions. Each will have their own perks so no one gets left out if they buy one. I am also considering possible gallery exhibits. I’ve done a number of solo and group shows and a few smaller books and things but haven’t published something on the scale that I intend to within the next 4-5 years.” In other words, stay tuned!
You can check out all of Matt’s work by following him at mattlicari and visiting his website at mattlicari.com.
