“The other day I was like I’m going to take pictures of some air conditioners. It’s funny because it’s the coldest time of the year and then we have these units that we’ll be running six months from now to keep us cold,” said local photographer Matt Carter.
When it comes to taking photos, Carter has few limitations and a desire for adventure if he thinks it will churn out a few good shots. The photo enthusiast’s work ranges from commercial food pictures, portraits, parking garages, cryptic scrawls tucked in alleys and whatever else he can find lurking around.
Photography was an occasional thing which quickly became one of those do-it-everyday kind of hobbies.
Carter’s interest sparked after high school when he started paying the bills by working at a photo lab. He furthered his intrigue after a few global trips with his buddies and realizing afterwards that none of them had snagged a single photo.
“It reminded me of this guy who taught me drumming. He was always going to places like Mexico City or Abu Dhabi, and when I was kid I would always joke that he was an international spy or something, but whenever I would ask to see pictures he’d say ‘I don’t take pictures,’” said Carter. “And then I thought I can’t be like that. So, now I take pictures of everything.”
Photography became a way to fill the void of dissolving memories.
“I just thought it was a shame because people would go to places that they’ll probably never go again and not have anything to remember it by or share it,” he said.
His piles of pictures are unique in their simplicity. The colours are natural and raw as if the real image was right in your face. Carter’s intent is to keep these images as true as he finds them.
“You can never trust photos anymore because of what they are with advertising and how nobody looks like themselves in a photograph. If I’m going to mess with them I want to be super obvious that I played around with the contrast or the colours. I’m not trying to deceive anybody.”
If you don’t believe his minimal editing, just take a walk around. Many of Carter’s photos are a documentation of the neighbourhood we live in. He can spend hours walking around Fredericton capturing its charm.
“Fredericton is a great spot, it’s fun to wander around. I always see something new. It’s the same, but it’s always changing and I like noticing what’s changed over time,” said Carter.
The photographer is a firm believer in discovering adventure in your own town just by bopping around or slinking through back alleys. This is how he dove into cataloging street art. Last summer, Carter started up the Fredericton Street Art Facebook page. This online archive is a collection of all unwanted forms of expression found around the city.
“We don’t have a lot of marvelous street art or anything, most of the stuff we have annoys other people, like stuff written on the back of buildings but I find that stuff pretty interesting,” he said.
Recently, Carter woke up and decided to collect images of the parking garages which stand big and ugly in the downtown area.
“My photos are are all about seeing what you can see in front of you. Your happiness is what you make it, if you choose to be miserable than have fun with that, but I’d much rather be happy. I find the pleasure in all that little stuff.”
You can check out Carter’s work here.
