Matt Shiffler Photography

Driving Indiana

admin — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 05:07:34 +0000

I made my way down to my Alma mater University of Cincinnati to attend my buddy Clint’s bachelor party a couple weeks ago. After recovering from the shenanigans, I decided to pay a visit to my old friend James in Indianapolis. I wanted to take advantage of driving through rural Indiana for some photographic opportunities. I planned to visit the highly acclaimed Brown County State Park, look for covered bridges, and find a buffalo farm.

The snow started falling hard as I was driving through the countryside. I found a pretty, red covered bridge, but the sky was a disaster for shooting. I continued to Brown County State Park in Southern Indy and finally found it after my GPS took me to an inaccessible entrance. There were dilapidated houses hidden away from the snow ridden roads. The snow was fluffy and light, and was the prettiest snowfall I have ever seen. The first photo is of the winding road traveling through the desolate park.

I then spent the next day touring Indianapolis and found myself at historic Crown Hill cemetery. I felt a powerful feeling when I drove through and witnessed a beautiful memorial to the fallen soldiers in the Civil War.

Marblehead Lighthouse

admin — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 05:53:34 +0000

Ventured out to Marblehead Lighthouse on the shores of Lake Erie in early March. The lake’s ice had just melted and I felt it was a nice time to capture a sunrise. Strange feeling coming to a usually lively, tourist destination in the summer time to an empty, desolate land in the winter. I was the only person staying at the hotel excluding the lone innkeeper who waited until I arrived at 1 am. Woke up on 4 hours on sleep, got my shots without a soul in sight, then went to the local restaurant for some coffee, eggs and bacon. -MS

Wright Patterson Air Force Base

admin — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 06:20:29 +0000

I visited the Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, OH because I enjoy American History and wanted to spend some time with my grandfather. The only goal of the day trip was to get a photo of Grandpa and the XB-70 Valkyrie airplane that he worked on. My grandpa was the Product Engineer of the braking system on the XB-70 during the Cold War years 1961-1963. He implemented an anti-skid braking system because the pilot could not decipher whether the plane was properly landing. The B-70 first took flight in 1964 and retired in 1969. He had not seen the plane in fifty years and was excited to once again see a part of history that he contributed to.

I was thoroughly impressed with Wright Patterson’s plane displays and how well done the individual exhibits of airplane eras were portrayed. It was well worth the trip and is highly recommended to visit.

Cleveland Sights

admin — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 21:26:11 +0000

Cleveland will always be my number one city. The friends and family, the crappy sports teams and the fun neighborhoods around the city keep me living here and I’m not sure if I am going anywhere soon.

Nature

admin — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 20:45:27 +0000

As a kid, my love of the outdoors was fishing and would make my own aquariums by wading into streams and catching minnows for it. This was the beginning of my love of water and getting out into nature. Now I love to hike all over Ohio and bring my camera. Cuyahoga Valley is one of my particular favorites. I love to observe the changing seasons and wait for the perfect sunlight to get a good photo. Eventually I will make my way across the US and go to the different state parks. I want to see a New England Fall and hike the Smokey Mountains. I will definitely make my way out West again. Here are some of my favorite seasonal photos below.

Naples, Florida

admin — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 19:42:19 +0000

Naples, Florida Christmas 2011. So nice to be in sunny weather and on a beach in December, but something also unnatural about it. I think I will always be a Cleveland boy at heart and like snow around Christmas time. The Osprey with fish picture was honestly a lucky shot. I was kayaking in the backwater of the Gulf of Mexico when a giant osprey swooped down and snatched a fish. The snowy egret was beautiful. It sat on top of the awning at the end of Naples Pier and looked very comfortable with the fishermen and people swarming beneath it.

Kentucky (Bluegrass Country)

admin — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 19:20:28 +0000

The Bourbon Trail running through central Kentucky was one of the better summer vacations I have had. Made it to Buffalo Trace Distillery, Four Roses, Woodford Reserve and Maker’s Mark distilleries. My favorite tasting bourbon was from Four Roses. All of the distillery grounds were immaculate, but the professional and perfectly groomed Woodford Reserve was the best. While in KY, we also drove through numerous horse farms, tried some absinthe and bourbon ales and made it to the Louisville Slugger Museum. We toured the Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill and saw the Civil War grounds of Perryville Battlefield.

Hello!!

admin — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 19:31:33 +0000

Beautiful Sunny and Snowy Day at Penitentiary Glen

Finally finished the site after three months of work! Editing, resizing, testing various print labs and pretending to know about building a website finally culminated into this! I will blog once or so a week, but the main focus of this is to keep taking photos and building a good portfolio up while continually improving. If I can make some extra money to pay for future equipment, that is a plus. I really appreciate everyone who looks at my work so thank you. Now I can focus on new projects and spend more time in the field and not behind a computer screen.