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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 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.



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The Political Conventions

Matt Slaby (b. 1979) 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. politcal 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 social justice issues accessible to the greater public. His current photographic efforts are divided between the Rocky Mountain West and Latin America. A selection of his clients includes U.S. News & World Report, TIME, Newsweek, Newsweek Poland, The Wall Street Journal, NEON Magazine, SPIN, Outdoor Life, XXL, Ebay Magazine, Mother Jones, The Latina Initiative, The Bureau of Land Management, Audubon Magazine, The Chronicle of the Horse, National Public Radio, Discovery Communications, and Human Rights Campaign.