A new website for Matt Inden Photography

"The Ridge" photograph by Matt Inden

“The Ridge”

We’re excited to announce the enhanced experience of the new Matt Inden Website.

Matt’s photography is worth seeing in person. In particular, his large prints bring a clarity and realism that I’ve not seen from any other fine art photographer out there.

The temptation among many photographers, professional and amateur alike, is to take an otherwise satisfactory image and pump it full of saturation and vibrance. These ‘high-saturation’ photos have a beauty all their own. They are often full of otherworldly hues, purples and pinks, reds and oranges that create a fantastical vision of the natural world.

Their point-to-point relation to the actual landscape, however, is somewhat dubious.

The first time I stood in front of a large-format print from Inden, I was fully transported. Throughout my youth I hiked along the ridges and valleys atop Vail Pass. I always wondered at the view, on a clear day, from those promontories. I remember wildflowers thick as carpet along the grass, and the peaks of the elk mountains in the backdrop.

I no longer live in Vail, but I miss it every day. Seeing Matt’s image “The Ridge” transported me immediately home. I felt as though I could step through his photograph right back into the world of natural beauty where I was raised. Even now, when I look at his imagery on the walls of my Denver home, I sometimes swear that I can see the wildflowers waving in the breeze, or the snow curling off the mountain tops.

This is what I mean by clarity and realism. Matt resists the temptation to oversaturate his images. The reward, for all of us who enjoy his work, is that he captures our natural world – and its inhabitants – in the way that they truly are, even as they stun us with their beauty.

So, can we capture all of that in a website?

Of course not … but perhaps we can present his images in such a way that you are intrigued, and will take the time to see more of Matt’s work in person, learn about his methods and philosophies that can frame the wilderness, preserve its spirit for our own memories, and remind us every day how precious these wild places are to us.

Thanks for supporting Matt and his work, and we hope to see you in the gallery soon,

Tom Boyd

About the technique

Matt Inden photography holy cross

Matt on a recent trip into the Holy Cross Wilderness area for an autumn photo shoot.

There seems to be much discussion on the subject of digital printing and its archival value.

As far as my prints are concerned, as one would expect of any fine art photographer, I use only the best available materials with regard to optimizing both print longevity and beauty.

In response to claims by companies and people in the field regarding archival value, I use Wilhelm Image Research. The consensus in the digital printing business is to use their research to set certain standards on print longevity.

In recent years, significant strides have been made in this area. Under proper storage and lighting, prints can have over a hundred years of archive depending on the print, canvas and paper.

I would suggest to those that have just purchased a piece of art (thank you very much for your support!) that you take the necessary steps to protect your investment.

ONCE I HAVE CHOSEN the image it is drum scanned at 4000 dpi at 16 bits per channel. The file size is well over one and a half giga bytes of information (meaning, very large and very slow to work with).

This insures, however, the integrity of all possible information in the 8X10 transparency. The massive amount of data enables me to print enormously large prints that hold incredible and accurate detail.

Many of the images on my web site can be purchased either in an open category or as limited editions. Similar to the limited edition prints, open category pricing is based upon supply and demand.

As the demand for a particular image goes up, the pricing tier for that image rises accordingly, thus preventing an overload in the market of any one image and insuring the quality of your investment even in the open category.

If the category for an image in which you are interested is not specified, please contact me for additional information.

Thank you for your interest in Matt Inden Photography.