Don't have much to say just wanted to share a few photos. Hope you enjoy them.
(Plymouth, MA 10/30/14) Middleweight Mark DeLuca (L) of Whitman connects for a punch on Ryan Davis in the third round at the Monster Brawl at Pilgrim Memorial Hall on Thursday , October 30, 2014. DeLuca knocked out Davis in the fourth round. Photo by Matthew Healey
(Boston, MA 10/04/14) Members of the Chaotic Noise Marching Corps of Seattle play during a 'Day of Action' in the campaign to raise the minimum wage in Downtown Crossing on Friday, October 10, 2014. Photo by Matthew Healey
(Plymouth, MA 10/30/14) Welterweight Danny O'Connor of Framingham celebrates his fourth round knock out of Andrew Farmer at the Monster Brawl at Pilgrim Memorial Hall on Thursday , October 30, 2014. Photo by Matthew Healey
(Boston, MA 11/28/14) Woman protesting Black Friday in response to the police shooting in Ferguson, Missouri, holds a sign in front of the Prudential Center on Friday, November 28, 2014. Photo by Matthew Healey
(Cambridge, MA 11/28/14) Jack Desmond,(R) who plays the part of Santa Claus at the Camridgeside Galleria, poses for a photo with a group of protesters inside the mall protesting Black Friday in response to the police shooting in Ferguson, Missouri, hon Friday, November 28, 2014. Photo by Matthew Healey
(Boston, MA 11/29/14) Harvard junior forward Evan Cummins (33) dunks on UMass senior center Cady Lalanne in the first half at Lavietes Pavilion on Saturday , November 29, 2014. Harvard defeated the Minutemen 75-73. Photo by Matthew Healey
Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) turns for a handoff in the first quarter against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts on November 23, 2014. The Patriots defeated the Lions 34-9. UPI/Matthew Healey
For a several years I've been working on a project loosely based on the second-hand economy. One of my hobbies is buying and selling antiques. I eventually decided to turn my camera on some of the more interesting people I have met.
This is Joe Pick.
I first met Joe at a yard sale he was having on the south shore of Massachusetts. The sale advertised tons of merchandise to pick through. I showed up and was amazed at what he had on his lawn. Boxes and boxes of, stuff. Photos, books, magazines, trinkets, buttons, electronics. There was also furniture and artwork. It was overwhelming. I ended up at a few more of his sales and began asking him about his business. It turns out he is a one man clean out team.
Joe is called in when a home needs to be cleared fast. Sometimes it is because the owner passed away and the family is selling it, sometimes it's a foreclosure, and sometimes it is an older couple that has finally decided to downsize. Joe is usually brought in after the bulk of the items have either been moved or sold off at an estate sale. What is left, the 'stuff' accumulated by people over the years, is Joe's responsibility. The majority of what is left is basically trash. Broken items, old papers, moldy books. However a lot of that 'stuff' still holds some value. It is literally a case of one man's trash is another man's treasure. Most of it will only sell for a few dollars but it adds up fast when you are cleaning out a few houses a week. Joe used to sell off the remainders from his clean outs at his epic yard sales. But he has moved away from that practice and now uses more traditional retail outlets like antique and collectible shops.
This small series is from an antique farm house on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The house had been sold by the older owners and needed to be cleaned out. Most of the major items had already been sold at an estate sale, so whatever was left was up to Joe to deal with. When I was there two women were looking for some items for their new up-cycled furniture store.
Back in September I asked my friend Sarah, who works for Mayflower Brewing Company in Plymouth, Mass, if I could take some photos of the brewing process as a personal project. I am a total beer geek and have friends that brew their own beer but have never seen the process on a larger scale.
A few days later Sarah arranged for me to meet with Head Brewer Ryan Gwozdz. I pulled into the parking lot at 7:15 and Ryan was already hard at work. He offered me a cup of coffee and gave me a quick tour and then went back to brewing while I followed him around with my camera.
He was starting a new batch of Mayflower IPA which is one of their staples and really tasty. It was great to see the process from the very beginning. Not surprisingly it is very calculated. It involves watching the clock, watching temperatures, measuring ingredients, and of course lots of cleaning. After Ryan got the IPA batch under way I went and spent a little time with the crew bottling and packing cases. It's always refreshing to work with small companies who are willing to give you access to their entire process.
Mayflower is a great local craft brewery who has put Plymouth firmly on the beer map and it's nice to have them in my backyard. Be sure to stop by their brewery if you have a chance. They do tastings, tours, and of course sell beers. http://mayflowerbrewing.com/visit-us.php#tastings
Oh and if you are a woman who loves beer or is interested in learning more about it and live on or near Cape Cod then reach out to Sarah who runs the Girls Pint Out Cape Cod. It's a beer tasting meetup group for women. https://twitter.com/CapeCodGPO
I'm looking back at the last few months of work and posting them to the blog. I was going to do one frame a day but decided everyone probably prefers a gallery so here it is. Hope you enjoy and as always comments are welcome!
Boston, MA - Boston Mayoral Candidate Dan Conley pauses for a moment while on a door knocking campaing in West Roxbury on Friday, August 23, 2013. Photo by Matthew Healey
Boston, MA - Boston Red Sox batter Mike Napoli slides under the glove of Chicago White Sox second baseman Gordon Beckham on a double in the third inning at Fenway Park on Saturday, August 31, 2013. Photo by Matthew Healey
Boston, MA - Natasha Khan aka Bat For Lashes performs at the Boston Calling music festival at City Hall Plaza on Saturday, September 9, 2013. Photo by Matthew Healey
Boston, MA - James Tavares of Taunton smokes marijuana at the 2013 Boston Freedom Rally on Boston Common on Saturday, September 14, 2013. Photo by Matthew Healey
Leo Finn (C) sits on the front steps of his home while his four-year-old son Cash Finn (L) plays on a scooter and 10-year-old son Nicholas Finn (R) opens the front door in the village of Buzzards Bay in Bourne, Massachusetts on October 2, 2013. Leo, who has stage 4 bile duct cancer was going to take part in a clinical trial for a new cancer medication at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, but the trial has been put on hold due to the government shutdown. Photo by Matthew Healey
Part-time commercial fisherman, Dave Gelfman, who splits his time between Chatham, Massachusetts and Ridgefield, Connecticut, leans in the doorway of his 36-foot day boat "Horse Mackerel" while tied up at the Chatham fish pier after a day of fishing in Chatham, Massachusetts on October 21, 2013. New EnglandÕs fisherman often have to make room on their boats for unwelcome guests: federally-mandated observers. The passengers keep an eye on the catch to make sure the crew doesn't violate limits on depleted fish stocks. There is currently a pilot monitoring program underway which replaces the observers with video cameras. Photo by Matthew Healey
The Boston Red Sox bat boy Chris Cundiff carries six balls in his hands before game one of the ALCS between the Detroit Tigers and the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park in Boston on October 12, 2013. UPI/Matthew Healey
Detroit Tigers runner Prince Fielder (28) is chased down by Boston Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia (39) while third baseman Xander Bogaerts (72) waits at third base after Tigers batter Jhonny Peralta (not pictured ) grounded into a double play in the sixth inning of game six of the ALCS at Fenway Park in Boston on October 19, 2013. UPI/Matthew Healey
Boston Red Sox pitcher Koji Uehara celebrates with his teammates after winning the ALCS against the Detroit Tigers at Fenway Park in Boston on October 19, 2013. UPI/Matthew Healey
Boston Red Sox DH David Ortiz walks onto the field with a flag draped over his shoulders after the Red Sox defeated the Detroit Tigers to win the ALCS in six games at Fenway Park in Boston on October 19, 2013. UPI/Matthew Healey
Boston Red Sox left fielder Jonny Gomes celebrates after the Red Sox won the American League Championship after defeating the Detroit Tigers in six games at Fenway Park in Boston on October 19, 2013. Victorino had a grand slam in the game. UPI/Matthew Healey
Cranberry harvester Felipe Amparez uses a floating boom to corral ripe cranberries towards an industrial pump at the Bumpus cranberry bog during the fall cranberry harvest for the A.D. Makepeace Company in Carver, Massachusetts on Wednesday, October 2, 2013. A.D. Makepeace is the world's largest cranberry producer.
It's been a pretty active few months in Boston and I have let my blog suffer. I am slowly going through the images I have made since May and will start posting some of the ones I like on here.
First up is a photo of President Obama during a speech in Boston while campaigning for then Senate candidate Edward Markey. It can be challenging to get creative at these events. Local press is usually positioned on a riser in the back of the room that is usually pretty far from the stage. There is often a side riser that will give you a different angle but bouncing between the two can be difficult, especially if it's a crowded event. But you work it the as hard as you can and try to get something that might stand out even if it just a little bit. I don't know if this did the trick but it was a photo of something other than just the podium.
I've been laid up recovering from some surgery for the past three plus weeks and I have been a lazy photographer and haven't shot so much as an instagram photo. Actually that's not true, I did take a few photos of my cats with my pad. I am embarrassed to admit that I have even used my ipad camera but at least it was for cat photos.
I wanted to share two frames from an ongoing series that I started last year. In short the idea is to focus on 'thrift culture'. People that buy and sell used items and all that it entails. My focus so far has been on a few proprietors of junk shops or in one case a junk yard. They usually sell older items, maybe considered antique but if they are antique they have not aged well. Really fun to look around in.
This is Barbara.
She has been getting by selling stuff from her south coast "junky-junk" shop for over twenty years now. Don't let her nickname for the shop fool you, the place has some awesome stuff, you just have to look. And she doesn't just deal in in antiques and decorative items. She also buys and sells cars and anything else she can make some money on.
Meet Chuck.
His yard in Roxbury isn't open every day, usually just in the warmer weather. He owns the land and plans on giving it to his son so that he can either sell it or develop it. In the meantime he sells furniture, appliances, and various other items from the land. Fascinating guy who used to run a huge furniture store in the area.
Back in November I got a call from The Fader to shoot the Providence stop of the Maybach Music Tour featuring Meek Mill, Rick Rose, Machine Gun Kelly and Wale. I generally try to keep up with new music but I have to admit these artists were all off my radar.
So after I was done googling them all I drove to The Dunk (Dunkin Donuts Center) and got my credential.
Normally at a larger show and venue the photographers are given only the first three songs of each act to photograph. It's frustrating but it's how almost all the shows work. This was different, I was given full access. It was refreshing to be able to shoot as much as I wanted and not worry about being escorted out of the building. I had fun and wanted to finally shore the photos. Hope you enjoy.
Finally getting around to posting the remainder of my year in review.
It is admittedly a loose edit but thought it was a good representation of my year.
Thanks again for looking and for all your support. And I hope everyone out there has a great 2013.
Feedback or questions always welcome.
And again for best results view in full screen by clicking on the four arrows in the bottom right corner of the slideshow.
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
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.