Seattle Photography by Matt McDonald
Aug 16
by matthew in Macro, News 0 comments

Getting Creative With Toy Photography To Get Through COVID

The COVID-19 Pandemic has been devastating on multiple levels. Death, sickness, people losing their businesses, out of work and more. I luckily have been gainfully employed still and busier than ever building websites for people. If I am not creative with my camera I kinda lose my mind and have started to lean into toy photography to keep the me creative. It’s been a lot of fun and I have leaned a lot about photography in the process. Take a look at some of the photos I have been capturing below. You can also view more of my toy photos at ToyPhotographes.com and Macrotoy.photos.  
Read More
Jun 28
by matthew in News, Seattle 0 comments

Black Lives Matter: Seattle Protest Coverage

I used to cover protests as a photojournalist for The Bellingham Herald and have always captured photos of local marches for causes I believe in. The video of the death of George Floyd brought me to tears and it made sense for me to put my skillset to use even though I don’t work for a publication anymore. Below are photos from the cleanup efforts in downtown Seattle after the first night of protests that turned into riots. Photos from that evening were used for weeks to portray Seattle in a negative light in certain media outlets. That is what motivated me to do more personal coverage of the protests. People needed to see what was really happening. After that for over 10 days protestors and the Seattle Police clashed in front of the East Precinct. The City of Seattle decided to abandon the precinct and protesters were able to freely walk up the street. Below is the first walk up Pine Street in Capitol Hill after the Police blockade went away on June 8th. I had to run so hard to get ahead of the march I nearly got sick, but this photo was worth it. After I captured […]
Read More
Feb 24
by matthew in Long Exposures, News, Seattle 0 comments

The Classic Pink Elephant Car Wash In Seattle Photos

The classic pink Elephant Car Wash sign along Denny Way is still there. Although it is not spinning as of late. This sign is still one of the most photographed icons in Seattle, this neon rotating pink elephant has been making Seattle nights brighter since 1956, six years earlier than the neighboring Space Needle was built.
Read More
May 29
by matthew in News, Seattle 0 comments

Washington Ferry Hits Humpback Whale Photos

On May 28, 2019 I was walking my dog along the Seattle waterfront and saw a whale. It was the first time I have seen a whale in Washington and if you know me you know I was super excited. I spent the next 15-20 minutes watching it swim across Elliot Bay. I lost sight of the whale and it resurfaced near the ferry route. I saw a ferry go by it and thought it had hit it at first, but figured it was a distance / compression effect from the lens. Sadly, it turns out the ferry ran over the whale. I did see it breach a couple times after that and then it disappeared. Super sad to say the least. You can watch my interview with KOMO HERE View The photos in People Magazine and The Seattle Times.
Read More
Feb 03
by matthew in News, Seattle 0 comments

Seattle says Goodbye To The Viaduct and Hello To 99 Tunnel

I walked the Alaskan Way Viaduct and the new 99 Tunnel with some friends on Feb. 2, 2019. It was amazing to see the difference between the two structures and will be interesting to see how the change affects Seattle in the coming months. Below you can see some of my photos from the recent adventure in Seattle.
Read More
Dec 19
by matthew in News 0 comments

2018 Seattle Photos Of The Year

The year 2018 has come and gone and was quite the adventure for me in Seattle. New business, new clients, more video work than ever, and some really exciting photo assignments along the way. Most of the photos below were captured on my own time because I love photography. I enjoy trying out new concepts while also capturing those familiar beautiful Pacific Northwest scenes I love. Here’s my top 10 favorite photos of the year.   The Ferry Ride I have captured a lot of ferry photos in the Pacific Northwest throughout my life. This one is by far and away the most popular. It got over 1,450 likes on my measly Instagram account, made it to the front page of Reddit, and was shared around quite a bit. All those ferry photos paid off. Now I just need to get this at sunset or sunrise…   Pearl Jam Via Do206 I was able to secure a photo pass for the first Pearl Jam Home Show at Safeco Field. Middle school me rocking out to a Pearl Jam cassette never ever would have dreamed I would have had this opportunity. It was an amazing experience to say the least and […]
Read More
Jun 26
by matthew in Action, News, Video 0 comments

Longboarding At Gas Works Park In Seattle

A quick video featuring Merv Victoria putting his Paris Trucks / DB Longboards combo to work at Gas Works Park in Seattle, Washington. Probably time to pickup a new deck from Motion Boardshop.
Read More
Jan 22
by matthew in News, Seattle 0 comments

Pearl Jam Flag Atop The Space Needle Photo Goes Viral

Pearl Jam lead guitarist Mike McCready raised the Pearl Jam flag on top of the Space Needle Jan. 22, 2018. Pearl Jam announced The Home Shows, 2 concerts in Seattle on August 8 & 10 at Safeco Field! The shows aim to unite the community to help alleviate homelessness in the city of Seattle. I do promo work for Do206 and LiveNation and I heard they were raising a flag atop the Space Needle, so I rushed to my photo spot and snapped a photo. Combined that with the press release and social posts and it went viral thanks to Do206 and Pearl Jam. Pearl Jam retweet Do206 and reposted my photo on Instagram. Not a bad start to the week and it’s always great to help spread awareness to an amazing show for a great cause.
Read More
Dec 30
by matthew in News, Seattle 0 comments

2017 Photos Of The Year In Seattle

2017 has a crazy year in the news and with politics, but that didn’t stop it from being a beautiful year through my lens. Here are some of my favorite photos captured in 2017! Seattle Women’s March The view of the Women’s March on Seattle with record setting crowds on Jan. 21st. Capitol Hill Rainbow A summer solstice sunset brought us an amazing rainbow over Capitol Hill. West Seattle Reflections The lights of Seattle always look the best from Alki Beach in my opinion. I think this photo supports that statement. Warm Summer Nights On The Waterfront It was a beautiful warm summer night on the Seattle Waterfront and I took a few photos and this was my favorite from the evening. Fall At Jose Rizal I spent quite a bit of time pushing leaves in the hole in the fence at Jose Rizal Park. I think it was worth it for this photo. Seahawks From The Sideline I was lucky enough to capture a coiuple of Seahawks games and one of my favorite photos was Kam Chancellor, Richard Sherman and Bobby Wagner talking on the sideline before the game. A Sad Day Everywhere The view of the Space Needle […]
Read More
Aug 20
by matthew in Action, Landscapes, News 0 comments

Capturing Photos for The Minnesota Vikings and Seahawks

Recently the Minnesota Vikings reached out to me via Instagram to capture photos of a Minnesota Vikings helmet around Seattle to hype up the Minnesota vs Seahawks preseason game. I love sports and Seattle, so naturally I said yes. Below are some of the photos I captured and you can see more and an interview HERE. I also had the opportunity to capture some photos of the field at the Seahawks VS Vikings preseason game. I sure did miss having a 400mm f2.8, but I made due with the Sigma 150-600mm. I also tried out my new Sony A6500, which did fairly decent.
Read More
Categories
Recent Posts
Archives