The immediacy of the Polaroid ranks high on the list of what makes it such an appealing format. A precursor to digital, these little rectangles have long provided family and friends with the immediate gratification of watching their memories appear before their eyes, preserving the moment like a can of summer tomatoes for a cold winter’s day. For me, as a photographer, the prints are unlike my digital workflow; they are something to be left behind, handed over, inspected, and celebrated. This series embraces a communal approach to photography, pulling from thousands of Polaroids taken of family, friends, and complete strangers over the last two years. It is a slice of Americana, a little bit odd, a little bit political, and most definitely related to our unique place in the course of history. In many cases, a print was left behind with my subject and another taken along with me, bringing the magic and immediacy of photography full circle.
Polaroids
Denver, Colorado | +1.303.877.0273 | mattslaby@luceoimages.com
MORE GALLERIES
-
The Gulf Oil Spill
On April 20, 2010 a catastrophic blowout on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig off the Louisiana coast resulted the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history ... More
-
The Last Good Kiss: A Lovesong to The American West
In the poem, 'Degrees of Gray in Phillipsburg', Richard Hugo gives an account of a small mountain town in western Montana, lamenting that the heyday of the ... More
-
My Diving Bell
A WYOMING TRAVELOGUE IN ONE ACT Driving all night into the heart of Wyoming, I finally pulled the rental car off the road to rest. I ... More
-
Gun Culture U.S.A.
On June 26 of 2008 the United States Supreme Court stated, for the first time in history, that individuals have a protected right to bear arms. The ... More
-
Polaroids
The immediacy of the Polaroid ranks high on the list of what makes it such an appealing format. A precursor to digital, these little rectangles have long ... More
-
Waiting to be Fed
The production of Bush era politics on the Washington circuit. Photographs from the White House, The U.S. Senate, and the 2006 Elections focusing on the strange symbiosis ... More
-
The Other Border
CENTRAL AMERICAN IMMIGRATION THROUGH MEXICO Roughly 11% of the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants residing in the United States arrive from countries south of Mexico. The vast ... More
-
The Political Conventions
A look at the 2008 Democratic and Republican National Conventions and the events surrounding them.
BIOGRAPHY
Matt Slaby is a photographer based in Denver, Colorado. Before turning his attention to photography, he traveled the western United States as a wildland firefighter with the U.S. Forest Service Hotshots also working winters as an EMT with a metropolitan ambulance service. Slaby interned at U.S. News & World Report covering the 2006 congressional elections and the Washington, D.C. political circuit, including the White House and U.S. Capitol. He has a background in writing and literature and holds a J.D. from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. Slaby brings his diverse background to the field of photography and journalism and is particularly passionate about making the unique and multidimensional culture of his home in the western United States accessible to a broader audience. Slaby's current body of work has received honors from PDN, American Photography, Communication Arts, Center, and LOOKBetween. A selection of his clients includes U.S. News & World Report, Time, Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, Smithsonian Magazine, Mother Jones, The Bureau of Land Management, Audubon Magazine, National Public Radio, Days Japan, The National Interagency Fire Center, The Department of Defense Military Health System, BD, Discovery Communications, and Human Rights Campaign.