Photographer/PhotoShop Artist: Matt Kloskowski
“Hi, I’m Matt! I’m a Photoshop, Lightroom, ON1 (and whatever other software you wanna use) Guy that helps people navigate the crazy waters of photography and photo editing” ~Matt K
When did you know the photography/video industry was for you?
I honestly can’t tie it to a specific date or event. I was a software developer before I went to work teaching people Photoshop and photography. I had the usual 9-5 job at a desk where I sat the entire day working on code, etc… At some point, a few years after I made the move in to the creative industry and teaching, I looked back and thought “What if I had to go back to that world?” and I realized I couldn’t. My previous career sounded so foreign to me and I wasn’t that person anymore. I thoroughly enjoyed the more creative career I was in, between teaching, photography, and editing – and I realized I was all in. That no matter what, it would be impossible for me to go back.
How did you get your current position?
I worked at Kelby Media for 10 years. I left there about 5 years ago and spent a year working at ON1 Software. Sometime in that transition, I realized I wanted to venture out on my own so I could approach and talk to the industry the way I wanted. To create my own educational business, and that’s where MattK.com was born.
How did your training or schooling prepare you for your job?
That’s a tough one. I didn’t go to school for computer photo editing, photography, or education. Never took a day of schooling in any of them. Heck, Photoshop and Lightroom which is primarily what I teach on wasn’t even around when I was in college. So I guess you could say all of what I did was learned on my own time, or on the job.
What was the greatest obstacle you had to overcome in pursuing your career?
Most definitely it was (and still always is) self-awareness. If I could gift one ability to my kids, that’s exactly what it would be. In my industry, it was figuring out what my voice was. Remember, I’m an educator not a photographer. Figuring that out, and really owning it was a big moment for me. In the educational area you’re surrounded by many people that were photographers first, and educators second (after they realized the photography industry was shrinking the education was growing). I was the opposite. But early on I always had the feeling I had something to prove to all of these photographers I was working around.
Then I sat back and read emails and talked to people who had taken my classes and I realized that there is one thing I do best… teach. Becoming aware of that and owning it was a huge moment for me. Realizing that if you like my photo… great! Thank you! And if you don’t… well, I wasn’t really thinking of you when I created it because I made it for me. But my educational material? Now that’s different. I want you to like it. I want it to work for you, and I have a lot of passion and energy put toward it for it to resonate for you.
And that obstacle still exists today. There’s a constant need for self-awareness to figure out if what I’m doing it resonating with people and evaluating whether or not it’s just something I think is cool, or something that people honestly need/want to know.
Who would you name as the most influential person in shaping your career?Why?
For me it was Scott Kelby. He revolutionized education in the creative space. Before him, most books and videos were pretty technical. He changed that. Watching him. Listening to his guidance. And Learning from him, and the way he approached his educational books and videos was invaluable over the years for me.
If you could be compensated for your work with something other than money, what would it be?
I already get it. Since I started my own company I’ve made my contact information very available. And I’m lucky enough to get emails and messages every day from people that say my training has worked for them. That they are no enjoying their hobby or craft in ways they couldn’t before because of me. As I alluded to before. I have zero ego attached to my photos. If you like them, that’s nice and I do appreciate it but comments about photos don’t do much for me because I think there’s probably hundreds, if not thousands of photos that resonate with people on any given day in this age.
But when I get an email from some one who I’ve really helped with my education and training, it TOTALLY makes my day. Words can’t describe how great it is to be at a workshop and show some one something in photography or on the computer and see their eyes light up. Way beyond the financial reward, that is what I’m always working for.
To view more of Matt’s amazing work, visit: http://mattkloskowski.squarespace.com/
