Photographer Essay: Matthew Rennie (thelabrador_)

   Matthew Rennie, @thelabrador_ on Instagram, is a photographer that travels with a lot of music artists and takes pictures on tour. He has traveled with small name artists such as Oliver Tree, Whethan, and Devault Music. Rennie isn't a big name, but I enjoy his style and subjects.

   Rennie makes good use of light and color to make even the simples subjects pop. The subjects he shoots aren't generally boring, but even when they are he makes it work. Otherworldly colors can grab your attention, such as a sunset with deep, saturated colors.

   Rather than using a model for a shoot and moving on, he travels with his subjects taking photos along the way as he bonds with them. This helps him create friendships and capture people's feelings properly. It's similar to a nature photographer following a difficult subject like a cheetah for days on end.

Lighting is what drives photography, once you can manipulate light you can make your own style. In the picture below Rennie used the crowd's flashlights to get a bokeh effect. It looks like a shot from a movie, but its just a picture from a concert stage. These last two are some of my favorite photos from him. They're both creative uses of light.