2012 Year in Review Part 1

Well 2012 is almost in the books as they say.  It's been quite a year.  Celebrated my first wedding anniversary, worked with some fantastic new clients, did a little travelling, and worked with and photographed some amazing and inspiring people.  Though the work still has it's ups and downs I am still happy to be doing what I love.

I have put together a gallery of some of my personal favorites from the past year.  Still have some digging to do but will start with this batch.  Hope you enjoy and as always, I am more than happy to hear any feedback.

Oh and for best results click on the 4 arrows in the bottom right corner for the full screen gallery.



2012 Year in Review Pt 1 - Images by Matthew Healey

Rub Some Dirt In It

Just one frame from the Bills Patriots game on Sunday.  Have a lot of other stuff from the past few months I have been meaning to share but this will have to do.

Buffalo Bills running back C.J. Spiller is elbowed in the nose while being tackled by New England Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo after a 12-yard carry in the second quarter at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts on November 11, 2012.  UPI/Matthew Healey

RNC in Tampa Catching Up

Finally have a little downtime to put up a few images from this week.  Spent the week in Tampa for the Republican National Convention working for UPI.  It was a lot of work but really fun.  Made a lot of pictures and worked with a great team.  Here are a few from the first day and a half or so.  Oh and be sure to follow me on twitter @matthealeyphoto and instagram @matthfoto  and check back here for more updates.

Delegate from Pennsylvania at RNC welcome party.  Copyright 2012 UPI

Guest of alternate delegate from Louisiana at RNC Welcome Party in Tampa.  Copyright 2012 UPI

Rally and protest against the RNC in Tampa.  Copyright 2012 UPI

Workers on lunch break watching the protesters opposed to the RNC march through the streets of Tampa.  Copyright 2012 UPI

Code Pink protester with a hand puppet during March Against RNC in Tampa.  Copyright 2012 Matthew Healey

Opening prayer of the RNC in Tampa.  Copyright 2012 UPI

Waiting, lots of waiting.  RNC Tampa.

Waiting for Romney

My view while waiting on Mitt Romney in a very small room with a gaggle of media.









See the rest of the images here: http://www.upi.com/

Occupy Boston - still here

The occupation aspect of it is over, for now. The camp is long gone, Dewey Square is no longer a big mud patch.  The green space was re-sodded within 48 hours of the Occupy Camp being cleared.    But the movement still exists.  Maybe not as well centered as it was when it had a camp but they are still out there. 

I found myself covering a small march a few weeks back.  Word was that there would be action this time, but no one was saying what that action was.  The march was a reaction to the MBTA's fare increases and cuts in service which would have a fairly big affect on the community that the transit system services.    Overall the march went pretty smoothly.  They did march in the road, causing minor traffic delays but the Boston Police let them continue peacefully.  There numbers were fairly low but they did pick up some sympathizers along the way.  The action as it turned out was when they all entered the Park Street MBTA station and hopped the turn-style.  A direct protest of the MBTA changes.  

Here are a few pictures I made along the way.

For Sale

This is just one from a nearby lot that was just scraped.  I grew up in a more densely populated area so there weren't really large tracts of undeveloped land, or much open land at all aside from parks.  But I have always been fascinated with newer developed areas.  Moving to an area that is still expanding has been interesting.  Tree's are cut, land is scraped and building starts.  The stores and neighborhoods just pushing up against pine forests.  Whatever, it's just a photo of a sign.

It's that season again.

Tourists.  Copley Square.

Assortment of work

Been pretty busy lately, which is great, but I am neglecting my blog.  These are just a few random photos that I wanted to share from the past few weeks.  Enjoy.

Climber and model Mike Barron of Boston, rappels down the face of the Revere Hotel during  a vertical fashion show featuring spring/summer 2012 looks from designer Ted Baker London in Boston, Massachusetts on April 18, 2012.    UPI/Matthew Healey

 A supporter of Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney walks in the crowd with a sticker on his chest before Romney speaks at the Radisson in Manchester, New Hampshire on April 24, 2012.  UPI/Matthew Healey

 Rockport, MA - Attendants of a vigil for missing two year old Caleigh Harrison walk down Old County Road on Long Beach on Friday, April 20, 2012.  Caleigh went missing on Thursday afternoon while she was with her mother at the beach .   Photo by Matthew Healey

Life is beautiful.

'Hello friend. Life is beautiful"

It's the first thing you hear when you walk into Stan's junk store in Wareham, Massachusetts. You turn the corner and there he is, sitting in his lounge chair with his winter coat, and winter mitts on, trying to watch a movie on the beat up television in the corner. Then the inevitable question "Whatcha lookin' for?" in his Minnesota accent. I first bumped into Stan in my travels while scouring junk, antique and thrift stores for whatever catches my eye. It's a hobby of mine. Stan's store is classic. A random assortment of items he has gathered over the years, most tucked away in a corner, gathering dust, and not worth all that much. But that's what makes it so fascinating. You can spend a long time getting lost in the drawers filled with trinkets. I spent a little time chatting with Stan one day.

He told me that he grew up on a farm in Minnesota.  After awhile he began traveling and selling ice fishing decoys that he had collected over the years from folk artists.  He became pretty well known in the world of fishing decoys which are very collectible.  On one of his trips he found himself in the Wareham and Buzzards Bay area and as he put it "My truck broke down so I stayed" 

He used to have a bigger shop in Buzzards Bay but that has since closed down.  He now spends each day in his little shop on the bridge trying to make a few bucks a day to get by.

New England Patriots - Season in review

As promised way too long ago here is a selection of my favorites from the 2011/2012 New England Patriots football season.  Thanks for looking.  All images copyright UPI.


New England Patriots by Boston Photographer Matthew Healey - Images by Matthew Healey

Winter Light Continued - Downtown Crossing Boston, MA

Boston, MA - People walk past a construction zone on Washington, Street in Downtown Crossing on February 13, 2012.  Photo by Matthew Healey

Winter light in Boston - A study

 

End of the road

So the New England Patriots lost on a nail biter in the Superbowl.  Well they still had a good season and I was lucky enough to cover almost all of their home games again.  Saw some great games and some well.....iffy games.  I will put together an end of the season gallery in the next few days to showcase some of my favorites but in the meantime enjoy this photo.  It's not new for anyone that is friends with me on facebook but I never posted it here so here you go.

Foxboro, MA - January 14, 2012: A member of the End Zone Militia walks into the players entrance during half time of the playoff game between the New England Patriots the Denver Broncos at Gillette Stadium. 

 

Back in the day

I am in the process of adding some new content to my website to showcase my portraiture and more commercial style work.  So I have been digging through my archive of photos.  My lovely wife Christine, who is also a photographer offered to help, so we tackled the digital mountain of images together.  It was refreshing to have another person look through photos that I have stared at for hours and hours.  She came at them with a new fresh eye which gave me a fresh appreciation to photos that I had grown tired of looking at.

One of the photos is posted below.  I remember the assignment, I was asked to photograph a small tight knit neighborhood located in Brookline Village.  It was effectively a group photo of some of the neighbors.  But I was just starting out as a photographer and always wanted to go above and beyond on an assignment (still do!).  I took a few photos of the handful of neighbors that had gathered for the story and then went and hung out on the quiet street with them for a little while.  I attempted a series of portraits against one of the remaining brick row type homes that lined the street.  First up was a woman who was walking home from grocery shopping.  She was a little shy in front of the camera but I think it worked. 

Brookline, MA - October, 2005: Street portrait.

*****UPDATE**** There was a cat too!


Just found another photo from the same take.  Sorry there is no name but that was scrubbed when I re-saved the photos years ago. 

New Hampshire's alright.....if you like politics

A volunteer for republican presidential candidate Rick Santourm, places signs in front of the Elks Lodge in Salem, New Hampshire before the candidate held a town hall meeting there on January, 9  2012.  UPI/Matthew Healey

I only spent a few days in New Hampshire covering the primaries last week.  It was interesting and I wish I had the chance to work up there a bit more before the craziness passed.  But it was still great to shoot for the two days I was there.  First day was running around trying to catch every candidate I could.  The second day was a bit of the same but on top of that trying to shoot photos of people voting and holding signs.  Then the wait for the results.  This is a small sample of what I shot.  Have a look and let me know what you think.  

Republican candidate for president Jon Huntsman speaks at a rally at Exeter town hall in Exeter, New Hampshire on January, 9  2012.  UPI/Matthew Healey

Republican candidate for president Jon Huntsman speaks at a rally at Exeter town hall in Exeter, New Hampshire on January, 9  2012.  UPI/Matthew Healey

Republican candidate for president Jon Huntsman speaks at a rally at Exeter town hall in Exeter, New Hampshire on January, 9  2012.  UPI/Matthew Healey

Supporters of republican candidate for president Jon Huntsman cheer for their candidate before he spoke at a rally at Exeter town hall in Exeter, New Hampshire on January, 9  2012.  UPI/Matthew Healey

Activist and democratic candidate for president in New Hampshire, Vermin Supreme, talks to the media in Manchester, New Hampshire on primary election day on January 10, 2012.    UPI/Matthew Healey

Workers set up a sign for republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman before the start of his primary night party at The Black Brimmer Bar and Grill in Manchester, New Hampshire on primary election night on January 10, 2012.    UPI/Matthew Healey

Kelly Carter-Currier of Nashua, New Hampshire chats to a reporter off camera about her hat at the  primary night party for republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman at The Black Brimmer Bar and Grill in Manchester, New Hampshire on primary election night on January 10, 2012.    UPI/Matthew Healey

Jon Huntsman supporters pass out signs while waiting for the republican presidential candidate to speak at his primary night party at The Black Brimmer Bar and Grill in Manchester, New Hampshire on primary election night on January 10, 2012.   Huntsman placed third in the nations first primary behind Ron Paul and winner Mitt Romney.  UPI/Matthew Healey

Oh and the title of this blog is an homage to song from my youth called 'New Hampshire's Alright (if you like fighting)'.  The band is called Scissorfight and you can listen to it here if you are curious:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9ioePlnTT0  If you were involved in some of the media scrums that occured up there then the song is actually fitting.  Things were pretty crazy.  And if you aren't entirely sure what a scrum is.  Well here is a picture.  That's Ron Paul in the middle with the white hair.

Escape from Bikini Bottom

Needs no caption.