“I’ve never wanted to shoot bikes as I didn’t want to mix my hobbies (and mental escape methods!) with my work,” says photographer Matthew Joseph to the Phoblographer in an interview, hitting ever so hard with that line. “It was only on completion of this project and really going into the edit on the interviews that I realized bikes had always been such a big thing for me – since I was a kid.” Indeed, Matt’s work around bike culture in NYC and Baltimore is exceptional. As the project grows like others have, we think that it’s going to evolve into something very beautiful.

All images by Matthew Joseph. Used with permission. Follow him on Instagram and check out his website.

Phoblographer: Talk to us about how you first got into photography.

Matthew Joseph: My story is not unfamiliar to most – the classic situation whereby the family camera happened to be a Pentax SLR so manually focussing on a prime lens and manually exposing everything was the way I learned photography. I consider myself very fortunate to be of an age where I really came into it just before (and through) the film-digital transition, it taught me so much. It was a family holiday in Amsterdam when I was 11 that I realized the best way of avoiding family photos, was to be the one taking them. So I took charge and then ghosted a multitude of old-school photographers at family weddings over the next few years, delivering a reportage story of the day to the bride and groom, just for fun…and before reportage, wedding photography was the thing it is today!

Then, I didn’t get the posh fancy new camera I’d asked for for Christmas, I got an old second-hand manual Pentax MX. But it was the best thing my parents could have done because it kept me learning. Then I shot my first paid job at 16, and the camera always followed me with whatever I was doing in life. It snowballed (gradually) from there.

Phoblographer: Talk to us about the gear that you use.

Matthew Joseph: I have a lot of cameras and have used different systems professionally over the years. But I was a fairly early adopter the the mirrorless world (when Nikon finally got their act together!) and haven’t looked back. It helps me achieve so much more and the tech advances in AF alone are just so worth it. My camera cases definitely aren’t any lighter because of it – what most people refer to mirrorless system as – if anything they’re heavier because the really good glass which is starting to be released now is epic and huge! I struggled with the Z7 and Z6 range for a while because what we all really needed was the Z9. And it really hasn’t disappointed. I got one of the first Z8s in the UK as I was eager to get rid of the Z7ii and its inability to work as a real robust pro camera. Annoyingly the Z8 is basically a duplicate of the Z9 in a smaller body missing a few key features. I would have rather it be slower, but with a higher resolution, it would have made more sense in my arsenal. My whole lens system is native Nikon Z glass, but I go to some efforts to counter the digital ‘perfection’ of the system and aim to bring some humanity and romance back to it if I can, using various filters and techniques – in camera and in post. 

My favourite thing to do is to pair vintage lenses with mirrorless tech. The new mounts on mirrorless systems make it really easy to mount vintage Leicas, Hasselblads etc – I’ve even got a re-housed Canon ‘Dream Lens’ which is crazy. The best pairing is the 35mm Leica Summricon f/2 on a Nikon Z8 – for personal travel. But on much of my commercial work I can’t afford the risk of missing focus as my work is fast and reactive. 

I won’t bore you (or should I!?) with listing off my other boxes/shelves of gear, I own a lot because I rent it onto my commercial jobs. I mix using Profoto with other forms of continuous light, but most of my efforts revolve around re-shaping and manipulating natural light, that’s my thing. I’m all about keeping things feeling as human as possible, but also maintaining a cinematic and polished quality to it at the same time. It’s a constant balance!

Everything is carried around in colour-coded Pelis (now I’m getting carried away)… I’ll stop here. 

Phoblographer: To you, what’s so fascinating about city bike culture? And what was the toughest part about making this project?

Matthew Joseph: It’s the specific culture of the ‘BikeLife’ movement which is what I was drawn to more than bikes in general. I mean, I’m a huge cyclist, cycling fan, owner of bikes and it’s a big interest area for me. But I’ve never wanted to shoot bikes as I didn’t want to mix my hobbies (and mental escape methods!) with my work. It was only on completion of this project and really going into the edit on the interviews, that I realized bikes had always been such a big thing for me – since I was a kid. Bikes provided a means of transport, escape, opportunity, and fun – especially growing up in a rural area with 5 other siblings to be taxied around to clubs etc, there wasn’t always a lift going! The Bike in itself is the ultimate in class-leveling transport. Rich or poor, you can probably own some form of two-wheels. For those in the BikeLife movement, it’s really starting to provide a way forward for those who largely may be from tough backgrounds with not a lot of options. I love that. 

The toughest part of any personal project is usually two things: access & creative vision. Both were completely true on this, for sure. Access starts off hard, but it gets easier as you get into it, and especially once you start shooting it – so you start to build material to convince people of your vision, and then hopefully get them on board. Being on the ground it accelerates it further as you’re constantly meeting new people and they’re curious as to why you’re there with your camera. Social media – especially Instagram – really makes the initial start easier too. BikeLife lives on Instagram, so that had to be my way in, but you still have to make enough noise to be heard. Then, creatively – I always start with an approximation of a vision, a rough guideline – some boundaries for me to play within… then it often completely changes as I’m shooting it, and I start to see the wider project slowly unfold the more I shoot. I am constantly adjusting my trajectory and reacting to my experiences, I really hate being locked off and limited, I want to respond. In the moment is where I’m at my best – I always put this down to wedding photography training me at an early age!!! 

Phoblographer: Biking in cities is often considered dangerous for so many reasons. What, to you, were the most eye-opening and emotionally driven parts of this project?

Matthew Joseph: As previously mentioned – it’s the potential and hope it’s giving to those who don’t have much. The human story, that’s always what I’m after. I got that plenty. I love meeting people from different walks of life in different places and just being polite and curious. I want to understand their journey and how they’ve got to where they’ve got to – Emmanuel from the Bronx and Maine from the Projects in Baltimore are a long way from my experience growing up. I didn’t have to deal with things they’ve perhaps had to, so the fact that bikes and photography brought us together into the same place for a brief moment, well to me, that’s special. You can hear their personal stories in the photo-films. 

Bikes in cities are dangerous, but they’re dangerous everywhere. They’re mainly dangerous due to cars and the humans driving them – though there, of course, some bad and dangerous cyclists out there. The BikeLife movement on their ‘Ride-outs’ can appear particularly lawless and perhaps threatening to the untrained eye, so the sub-culture has some PR to take care of. I’m hoping this project can go some way to helping that!

Phoblographer: We really liked your images partially because, as we’ve been going through various projects, there’s something that’s very human about it. With that said, what are your thoughts about all the AI projects out there these days and “AI photos” as they’re called?

Matthew Joseph: Thank you – that’s exactly what I’m after with this stuff, so it’s humbling to hear that you saw it too. And yes, AI – wow, a huge and evolving topic which, my opinion on it changes weekly. It’s not going away, that’s for sure. So, I’m trying to remain positive and help it push me further into the ‘human.’ Yes, AI will be able to create anything, but I don’t pre-conceive my images. So, my creativity is in the moment, and I’d never be able to use AI to replace that. Right now, I’m putting my faith in humanity and hoping that humans will be humans and continue to be drawn to real-human emotions. I think we’re naturally drawn to the more human photography and art – people are interested in people. So, it’s imperfections, unpredictable angles/moments/locations/expressions, and being able to respond to a situation and portray someone’s story – that’s where for me, the power lies. Yes, you can prompt AI to copy the work of Dorothy Lange, but what I’m hoping to see in the future is a demand for accountability as to whether that moment really existed, or whether it was created by AI. If we as a population continue to demand that – whether it’s a small print or some other verification method – then we have hope. The beauty of photography is that it can transport someone who wasn’t there to that situation. So photography has to remain relevant for that alone. We just all have to tell the truth along the way!

As a child, Louiie Victa wanted to be a veterinarian. She loved animals and thought caring for them would be a nice career — until she saw a video of a cow giving birth and promptly changed her mind. From then on, food was the only path she considered, so it was rather ironic that the only culinary job she could get, as a young immigrant to the United States, was at the San Francisco Zoo.

Though Victa had earned a hospitality management degree in her native Philippines, she struggled to get hired without recognizable names on her resume, so she began her cooking career by flipping burgers and whipping up pasta dishes at the zoo. “It was not quite the fine dining experience I aspired towards, but I was young and it was fun,” she remembers. “The zoo is actually where I learned a lot about American culture. Plus, it was such a perk to be around animals — the elephants especially.”

Eventually, Victa moved to Las Vegas to get hands-on culinary training from chefs on the Strip. She cooked at the Wynn Las Vegas and Bazaar Meat by José Andrés for nearly two decades before she contemplated leaving the restaurant industry for a more artistic pursuit, which she found in food photography.

That led Victa into recipe testing and development, and that’s how she ended up where she is today: successfully juggling all three jobs. She was responsible for testing all the recipes in our debut cookbook, Eater: 100 Essential Restaurant Recipes — so we know what she can do. Here, Victa shares the details of her career switch, how she maintains balance in her professional life, and what always surprises people about her work.

Eater: What does your job involve? What’s your favorite part about it?

Louiie Victa: As a recipe tester and developer, it’s really exciting to get a recipe from another chef and cook through it. When I was working on the Eater cookbook, I had such an amazing time cooking with different ingredients, tasting incredibly diverse cuisines, and learning the background of each dish. I believe that every recipe is a story. It’s an opportunity to learn new things — skills and techniques, sometimes shortcuts and hacks, and better ways of cooking a dish. Cooking and developing these recipes gave me a chance to work with and get to know such amazing chefs. I was able to recreate the dishes of acclaimed restaurants all in the comfort of my very own kitchen. You’ll get the same opportunity now that the cookbook is on shelves!

As a commercial food and restaurant photographer, I love bringing chefs’ ideas to life and being creatively engaged with building the image. If I have time, I try to get to know all the people responsible for cooking and executing each dish I’m taking a photo of. It builds a lot more synergy that way. I guess that’s why I call myself @the.cheftographer.

After each shoot, I make it a point to go to the back of the house to give high fives and thank each person involved for their hard work. It’s my signature move. When I was a cook dreaming of becoming a food photographer, it would have meant the world to me if a photographer or any guest came around to give me a little recognition. Just an affirmation that I was doing the right thing because food service is truly a thankless job.

How do you balance having multiple jobs in one: recipe testing, recipe development, and food photography?

Wearing multiple creative food hats is part of my brand. My days usually involve scheduling and planning things out. I had to learn that working the creativity muscle consistently makes you stronger, but you need to balance life with physical and mental health. Self-care and routine help me stay mentally and creatively sharp. Of course, there are days where you are required to be creative, but you don’t feel like it. You have to have enough “creative muscles” to get into a flow state and do the best work possible.

Mountain biking has been very beneficial for clearing my head. When I’m on my bike, I have to tune out other thoughts and focus on the obstacles in front of me. Otherwise, I’ll fall and eat dirt. I’m a big proponent of the “five hobbies” rule. It goes, find five hobbies that you love: one to make you money, one to keep you in shape, one to be creative, one to build knowledge, and one to evolve your mindset. That’s plenty to work with to grow in one’s career and in life.

Did you go to culinary school or college?

I attended university in the Philippines and pursued hotel, restaurant, and institution management, focusing on the business side of things. When I migrated to the U.S. in 2001, I originally wanted to attend the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, but as an immigrant with very limited resources, I decided to move to Las Vegas to learn from the talented chefs on the Strip.

I figured that real work experience would enable me to build a career in the food industry. It was also a more financially sound move because the cost of living was low compared to San Francisco, my first home in the U.S. The move also allowed me to be in close proximity to my mom, who was living in Las Vegas.

I was fortunate to have my mom help me pay for my first degree, leaving me with no student debt. When I decided to pursue photography and film studies at the College of Southern Nevada, I used my former employer’s (Wynn Las Vegas) tuition reimbursement program. I took advantage of the opportunity they offered as an employee benefit. They allowed for any field of study, not just courses that were directly related to my job as a cook.

What was the biggest challenge you faced when you were starting out in the industry?

Being a young, first-generation immigrant presented me with very few great opportunities for work. I also had challenges advancing in my career being a woman in the kitchen. I would immediately get assigned to prep, garde manger, or any small appetizer or dessert station because that’s where women usually got pigeonholed. I observed that my male colleagues had a better chance of being promoted and advancing their careers than I did. This was in the early 2000s and it was a very male-dominated industry. There wasn’t a lot of diversity and representation in kitchens. As an openly gay brown woman, it was difficult to find my rightful place in the kitchen without first proving that I was more capable than my male colleagues.

When was the first time you felt successful?

I never truly felt successful as a chef. I never got to the point of being an executive chef or owning a restaurant. As a food media creator, there was a time that I wanted to be a renowned food photographer. But I had a light bulb moment when I realized I no longer wanted to be someone else. I just wanted to be myself and pursue my own creative ventures in the world of food.

Did you have any setbacks? What were they?

Putting myself through photography school, and succeeding at it, while having a full-time job in the kitchen was difficult. I didn’t have the best gear or technology because I simply couldn’t afford it. I had to go through the whole learning curve and hone my photography skills so I could justify buying professional equipment. What a game changer that was! Once that was done, there was no looking back. I now had enough skill and the proper tools to execute the images I envisioned in my head.

Switching careers is scary. There were so many questions and moving parts, but my two biggest creative entrepreneurial saboteur excuses were, Where am I going to get a paycheck? and What about my health benefits? Those two thoughts nearly stopped me from leaping into a brand-new career full-time.

I also found it hard to find resources and supportive people who would truly help me get my foot in the door. I remember asking a fellow chef to introduce me to his boss, so I could ask about shooting the restaurant for free to build my portfolio. He immediately shut me down and said, “Well-known photographers from the L.A. Times shoot for our restaurant. And who are you?” That really stuck with me and it absolutely lit a fire for me to become better at what I do.

What was the turning point that led to where you are now?

There were many turning points and affirming instances that led me to where I am now. After working for Wynn Las Vegas, I worked for Bazaar Meat by José Andrés, and being around that kitchen team made me fall in love with food all over again. Then, Eater Vegas put out a call for a photographer and [former Eater Vegas editor] Susan Stapleton hired me. For a time, I was working as a photographer for Eater Vegas and a restaurant, while trying hard to book more shoots. This was shortly before the pandemic began.

And then the pandemic hit. While the industry really suffered, it gave me time to think about what I wanted career-wise. On the one hand, I could keep overworking with two jobs. On the other hand, I could figure out how to use this strange time to go through my checklist and set up my business as a full-time food photographer.

The next stepping stone appeared when a mentor of mine, cookbook author and former James Beard Foundation Book Awards chair Hsiao-Ching Chou, recommended me to . I was a super huge fan of the brand since the launch of its sous vide tool, so I was stoked about this. I signed on with them as a recipe developer. Now having somewhat of a paycheck and some street credentials, I felt more comfortable to take the leap and decided to become a full-time food photographer.

I am very grateful and fortunate that the word of my work soon spread and the next stepping stones kept appearing, one after the other. I had a pineapple pork adobo recipe featured in Bon Appétit, signed on as a recipe developer at Butcher Box, and my former employer, José Andrés Group, gave me multiple restaurant photography opportunities. I was also asked to join the book committee for the James Beard Awards and then Eater’s Rebecca Marx gave me a shot as a recipe developer and photographer for Eater at Home, which eventually landed me work with the Eater cookbook.

Do you have, or did you ever have, a mentor in your field?

I have many different mentors that have shared their careers and technical wisdom with me over the years. Professor Charles Lohman taught me to grow as a photographer and an artist. Susan Stapleton, former editor of Eater Las Vegas, helped me navigate the early beginnings of my career outside the kitchen. Hsiao-Ching Chou has given me an opportunity to work with such amazing food folks. I always come to her for solid career advice. And chef David Thomas, formerly of the José Andrés Group, taught me a lot about being a chef, time management, and personal accountability. His lessons helped me grow as an entrepreneur.

What would surprise people about your job? Why?

One of the questions I get asked most is if I get to eat the food I take photos of. The answer is, occasionally. Most food styled for photography isn’t even edible and there is a difference between plating for looks and plating for flavor. The job is not as glamorous as it seems. Shoots are always fun, but there is a lot of hard work involved: planning, packing, carrying gear, maintaining technology, travel, jet lag, long hours spent editing images on a computer, and having to roll with the punches if things don’t go smoothly. It’s not for the faint of heart, but it gets easier over time.

For me, owning your own business means having to be your own assistant, accountant, PR team, and admin. On top of that, you are the creative! It takes a ton of juggling and mastering time management. The thing I miss most about working in restaurants is not having people to interact with on a day-to-day basis. I miss my fellow cooks and chefs, working through a busy service. I had to adjust to being a solopreneur. I do have a small circle of people, colleagues, that I can talk shop and decompress with, which is necessary for my mental health.

How are you making change in your industry?

I seldom think of making big changes, but I keep in mind the small goals and achievements that I can implement. As a chef, food photographer, recipe developer, and food writer, I tend to show other people how to not create boundaries for your work or who you work with. I represent the AAPI, LGBTQ++, and women in both the food & beverage and photography industries, and I also teach aspiring food photographers at the Community College of Southern Nevada and the University of Las Vegas.

In the future, I want to be able to provide services, lectures, and professional support to diverse groups of women in hospitality who do not have the resources to leverage their own businesses and careers. I want to make sure to give back to the industry that I love.

What would you have done differently in your career?

I wish I had spent less time figuring out how to make the leap into entrepreneurship and started earlier. The anxiety of making sure I had completed my business checklist was debilitating. The journey takes a bunch of small steps that happen in real time. I wish I realized earlier that you don’t need to wait to have all your ducks in a row. You can get them in line as you go.

If you want to be the best, you need to refine and perfect your craft. You also need to recognize your errors and eliminate them. Here are two of the most common amateur mistakes that the best photographers never make.

Life would be pretty boring without mistakes. How else would those hilarious meme creators get their content? Life without mistakes would also mean you’ve stagnated and are no longer learning new things. Mistakes are inevitable. That said, quickly identifying mistakes and making efforts to redress those errors is a skill that separates the best from the rest. Here are two common mistakes I see beginner photographers make far too often. The best thing is that they are totally avoidable.

One and Done

It honestly fascinates me to see photographers – in any genre – rock up to somewhere with all their gear, get one shot, then leave. Worse, it’s often the same shot that a thousand other photographers have taken. It fascinates me for two reasons: first, if you’ve made all that effort to get to a place for a photo, why are you in such a rush to leave? To prepare, you have to charge your batteries, clean your lenses, choose your gear, pack your bag, get to your location, and perhaps hike to a specific spot. For what? Wham bam one and done, let’s get outta Dodge?

The second reason it intrigues me so much is that, if you’re shooting outside, conditions change so much over the course of a day. There are so many options when you’re shooting a particular subject. Even if you’re inside in a studio, you can play around with almost endless variations in your lighting setup and subject’s position. 

Don’t be a one and done photographer. Take your time, move around, think of different, creative, original possibilities to shoot your subjects. Let me give you an example to demonstrate what I mean about variation of a single subject.

This image above was taken from a recent typhoon swell in the south of Japan. This location is a well-known big wave spot, but most photographers like to stand side-on to this wave so they can see inside the belly of these beasts. This shot, however, was taken from a more front-on angle in which I used a wider lens to pull the scene back to give the viewer more context.

It’s hard to believe, but the shot above was taken on the same day as the first image. The difference is twofold: first, this was taken about five hours later, in the afternoon, so the light and the colors are vastly different. Second, I used a longer telephoto zoom lens to really get in close to the surfer so the viewer can almost feel the power of the wave and the exhilaration of the surfer.

Finally, this is a completely different perspective, yet it’s the same location and same wave. To get the image above, I used a drone, but this time the focus was not on the surfers or the wave, it was on a festival that was happening at the time. But in the top portion of the image, you can see the wave breaking along the reef. The position of the drone gives the viewer an entirely different experience and lets them see the landscape around the location as well as the dangers of the shallow reef formations, not to mention the interesting party going on in the foreground.

From these three images, you get a unique story in all of them and a much better understanding of the wave, the location, and its nuances. That’s because I took the images from three distinct locations with three different lenses.

Next time you’re out shooting, spend some time looking around for original shots of a location that might have been shot a thousand times before.

I’m Not Interested In That

The other big mistake I see from beginner photographers (and experienced photographers if I’m honest) is that they limit themselves in what they do. For example, they might say, “I’m a landscape photographer, so I’m not interested in sports.” Or it might not relate to genres, but gear instead. For instance, they might say, “I only use prime lenses.”

We could use a million hackneyed cliches to support this idea, such as “Jack of all trades, master of none.” But the truth is, if you obstinately refuse to even entertain the idea of trying new things and stepping into territory that you’re not at all familiar with, then you’re only preventing yourself from growing as a photographer and a creative force.

I can use myself as an example in this one. When I first started out, I never shot black and white. Then, after a couple of years, I started to think of black and white as something to use when your colors weren’t so great. A fall-back option when nature didn’t co-operate in giving you the light or conditions you were hoping for. How horribly naive.

As I grew as photographer and began to meet more people in the industry, I became friends with a number of photographers in different genres who specialized in using black and white. Their knowledge and expertise in illustrating the reasoning behind black and white photography was jaw-dropping. I was genuinely embarrassed by how clueless I’d been about black and white photography until that point.

They taught me about the importance of things like contrast, texture, shapes, patterns, lines, and shadows. Now, when I go out shooting, I can immediately identify what will make a good black and white photo and I don’t use it as some kind of safety net back-up option.

Once I’d learned what to look for in black and white photography, I was able to apply it to my bread and butter, landscape photography. In the image above, you can see example of all the elements I discussed earlier: contrast, lines, shapes, texture, and patterns. If I’d never opened my ears and allowed myself to drop the ego and listen to others, I’d never have progressed as a photographer.

For you, it might not necessarily mean trying out black and white photography. It could mean shooting flowers with a macro lens or doing portraits using natural light. It doesn’t matter, the main thing is that you always open yourself to learning new things and never limit yourself. Doing so will only hold your progression and your skill-set back.

Summing Up

Mistakes are part of life. However, knowing what you’re doing wrong is very powerful because that’s the only way you can eliminate your mistakes. First identify, then fix. Two of the biggest amateur mistakes I see photographers make is rushing away from a location as soon as they’ve got a single shot, and restricting themselves to certain genres or certain tools. Be more open to discovering new things and you’ll become a much better photographer.

1970s New York is a unique time in the city’s history; blackouts, crime, financial problems — the Big Apple was at a relatively low ebb. But for photographers, it was a rich resource.

Photographer Meryl Meisler says she had an epiphany while standing beneath a disco ball at a dance club in Bushwick. It was at that moment she realized that her photos of nightclubs and humble streetcorners could be shown together to tell the complex story of New York City.

And now, Meisler is having her first retrospective at CLAMP Gallery in the Flower District of the Chelsea neighborhood in Manhattan.

Meisler’s photos are chaotic and outrageous, full of big personalities. She does not shy away from the absurd and joyful, viewing the world through her “queer, quirky eye.”

Meisler was a public school teacher for 31 years and has only just begun revealing her extensive photo archive after she retired in 2010.

Her photos are not just party folks dancing hard at Studio 54. Meisler’s retrospective also includes photographs taken recently as well as personal photos of herself and her mom.

Simply Scintillating: A Retrospective will be at CLAMP gallery until November 4. For more information, visit the gallery’s website.