Matthew Pritchard grew up in Altoona, Pennsylvania, where he developed an active imagination while honing his earnest eye for the curious detail. Growing up there, he became the consummate idealist, retreating into the world of books, music, and the visual arts while dreaming of the day he could begin traveling to exotic places.

At the age of 18, he moved to Philadelphia where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Italian Language and Literature at Temple University. In college, he studied Black and White Film Photography under the guidance of Steve Berkowitz who exhorted all his students, “ to learn the rules so that you could forget them.” Matthew came to admire such masters of photography as Henri Cartier-Bresson, Andre Kertesz, Robert Frank, Walker Evans, Garry Winogrand, and Dorothy Lange. He spent his last year of college at Temple University in Rome where he continued to take classes in photography.

In 1993, he moved to New York City, earning his Masters Degree in Creative Writing with a concentration in Poetry at the New School. In 2007, he took a pilgrimage to Tanzania with a group dedicated to helping children who had been orphaned by AIDS. While there, Mr. Pritchard unexpectedly reawakened his passion for photography and has been taking photographs ever since.

He is fascinated with how important light is to photography, whether it is in a black and white film image or a digital color print. He, likewise, enjoys capturing the small, iconic detail of everyday life in his photographs. He aspires to create images that speak to the spiritual side of human living. He is fascinated with structure, and with repetition, and he admires the photographer’s unique ability to capture that decisive moment when all things in the frame conspire to communicate something transcendent.

He continues to take courses in Digital Photography at the International Center of Photography. Years of experience have helped him become a skilled photographer and writer who specializes in documentary photography and portraiture.

If you are interested in purchasing a print of one of his images or have any other questions concerning his photography, please email him through the contact link. He encourages you to check back from time to time to read his blog, too, where he will dedicate himself to exploring the art and technique of photography.