Matthew Leaman is a Seattle-based photographer who donates 10% of sales to nature and wildlife-related nonprofits.

Seattle Refined: How long have you been creating? What mediums do you work with?
{/strong}Matthew Leaman: I’ve been photographing my adventures since I was a kid, but got more serious about learning and developing my style in 2021 after upgrading my setup and having an inspirational, nature-filled year. I use digital photography to share my experiences with others.

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Can you tell us about your artistic process and how the different stages work into it?
{/strong}The first step in my process is just stepping outside to see what is around. I visit the same places over and over again because things change so quickly that you never quite know what will be around.

Once I sort through all my photographs from an outing to pick out my favorites, I process the images to make sure the focus is on the subject or sometimes the interaction with the environment around it.

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Tell us about where your inspiration for your art comes from.
{/strong}The great thing about nature and wildlife photography is that inspiration can come from anywhere, anytime. I carry my camera with me almost everywhere I go, just in case there's something to see and photograph. I like to capture moments that others might not notice if they're around or just happen so quickly that the only way to share with others is to capture a snapshot in time. I find that these moments are the ones that will be more likely to grab someone's attention and make them realize just how incredibly beautiful the world is around us. The more people that know the beauty is there, the more people will think about their impact on our environment and the many things that live in it. I hope that I can inspire more people to care about the environment, notice what is around them and think about what they can do to help it survive and thrive.

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Do you have a specific "beat" you like best – nature, food, profiles, etc.?
{/strong}My photography is greatly focused on nature and wildlife. I enjoy getting close-up shots of cool things as well as more broad landscape shots to show the beautiful scenery around us.

Do you have one piece of art that means more to you or is extremely special to you?
{/strong}One of my favorite images from recent years is one I took of my home's resident male Anna's Hummingbird, with a perfect little snowflake on his head. During that cold and snowy week in Seattle in 2021, this little guy was hanging close to his feeder, which I was keeping thawed with Christmas lights. One day, during some flurries, I hurried outside to do a photoshoot with him. I was so excited when I captured the image that I immediately ran inside to upload to my computer. Since then, this image was in the National Audubon Society's Top 100 for their 2022 Photography Awards, which helped break down my imposter syndrome.

It is also always fun seeing peoples' reactions to the image when they notice the little snowflake, and I enjoy talking about this experience a lot.

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What experiences in your life have affected your art the most?
{/strong}For most of the year in 2021, I was unemployed and used this time to explore our local waterways a lot more than before. I spent a lot of time kayaking in Port Susan and saw a lot of gray whales, as they were in their springtime feeding period in the Salish Sea. Then, during the summer, I interned with the Orca Behavior Institute based on San Juan Island. For seven weeks, I lived on the island and spent much of my time watching whales and recording observations of their behaviors during the encounters. During this time, I learned a lot and became extra inspired to work on my photography because of all the incredible encounters with nature and wildlife I was having. At the tail end of the trip, I dropped my camera into the Salish Sea while exiting my kayak, which then forced me to upgrade my equipment.

Shortly after getting my new camera, I was out on a whale-watching boat with a close friend who was surprised to hear that I was still shooting in Auto. From that moment on, I switched to full manual mode on my camera and have been experimenting and learning ever since. This single comment had a huge impact on my work, as shooting in manual gives you much more control over your photography than using auto settings. Since then, I work with lighting much more than before and really fine-tuning my style.

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If we want to see more of your work, where should we go to find it?
{/strong}You can find more of my work on Facebook, Instagram and my website! I also have one or more displays up around Seattle at any given time, so check here to see what's up right now!

What is next for you? Anything you're working on right now that you're really excited about?
{/strong}My next exciting trip will be Fiji and New Zealand this spring, which will hopefully lead to some new and exciting wildlife encounters and landscape photography. I'm hoping to see some new whales and other cetaceans, as well as my first wild penguins!! I recently purchased underwater housing for my camera, so there will be plenty of new underwater photography happening this year, too.

I'm also hoping to participate in the Ballard Seafood Fest, so come see me there this summer!

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Lastly, how do you take your coffee? (We ask everyone!)
{/strong}Black, French-pressed, sustainably packaged and ethically sourced.

About 'Artist of the Week': This city is packed with artists we love to feature weekly on Seattle Refined! If you have a local artist in mind that you would like to see featured, let us know at hello@seattlerefined.com. And if you're wondering just what constitutes art, that's the beauty of it; it's up to you! See all of our past Artists of the Week in our dedicated section.{/em}