Welcome to Pivoting Focus!
Welcome In. Intro.
Welcome in! My name is Matt Marsicek, and I’m an amateur photographer in the Minneapolis/St. Paul MN area. Thank you for checking things out. This site serves as a portfolio, brain dump, and creative outlet for all my various interests and hobbies.
Mount Jefferson OR, Sept. 2015, viewed from Black Butte Ranch. Photo credit: Matt Marsicek
Background.
I developed an interest in photography and art at a young age. National Geographic was my gateway into wildlife, nature, and travel photography. When I was about 8 years old, I remember seeing, long after it was originally published, the piercing eyes of the young Afghan Girl on the cover of the June 1985 issue. It was around 1990 when I first saw it.
You can check out the backstory of the article and the June 1985 issue of National Geographic here:
http://ngscollectors.ning.com/forum/topics/june-1985-the-afghan-girl
Those eyes still invoke a sense of wonder for me. The photo was taken by Steve McCurry, a widely published photographer who focuses on showing us the world through portraits of people from vaious cultures and countries of the world.
A coffee table book I have of portraits that Steve McCurry has done throughout the years. Amazon Associate Link:https://amzn.to/4cw1jkp Photo credit: Matt Marsicek
Most of my high school years were spent doodling, drawing, and painting. I didn’t actually start pursuing photography until college, when I added on a second minor in Art - Two Dimensional Design, emphasising photography specifically. I also did a practicum with the campus newspaper, at the time. I was pretty new to the actual craft and mechanics of photography, and it turned out to be a good learning experience. There is always more to learn, and that's partially what this site is about.
I lapsed for several years until I started rock climbing with some friends and started doing some outdoor and climbing photography around 2010-2014. After that, I did nature and hiking photography on and off, but lapsed again until the Covid Pandemic. Part way into lockdown, I needed to escape my apartment. We were all feeling trapped and stifled at the time. That’s what led me to start doing wildlife photography more regularly, primarily around Minnesota, and the Midwest.
Expectations.
So, what should you expect? I run on novelty and dopamine, and one never knows what will hit on any given day. With that in mind, you’ll see a variety of things on my site.
DISCLAIMER: I reserve the right to reconsider, change up, revisit, add-on, re-evaluate, or abandon, any and all plans, content, hobbies, projects, goals, frameworks, and whims. ADHD is a hell of a thing.
“One touch of nature makes the whole world kin.”
—William Shakespeare: Troilus and Cressida
As mentioned, wildlife photography will be featured heavily. I do a good amount of birding, and I have a decent backlog of photos from the last few years to draw upon.
You'll see blog posts on various animals I’ve found. I’m still honing my craft, and have much to learn about photography techniques; from finding the animal to taking the photo to the editing. Without a biology background, I'll be learning about the animals and their habitats. I'm looking forward to sharing what I've learned.
I’d also like to expand my subject matter to other types of photography, such as, nature, travel, concert, abstract, and perhaps some portraiture as well.
I enjoy camping, hiking, exploring wilderness areas, state parks, and backpacking, and would like to share more of those endeavors.
Concert photography can be a hard subject to break into, given the difficulty of getting a press/media pass when first starting down that path. Also, photography in concert lighting conditions can be quite challenging.
I’ll occasionally share writings about music I enjoy, short stories, gaming, streaming, herbalism, cooking, and various other subjects.
There is a short story I’m working on, but I haven’t decided how I want to present it yet. It’s still fairly early on in development, and I have no intention of rushing it. It’s a sort of present day, sci-fi piece.
I used to do some streaming on Twitch, and am thinking about doing that again; perhaps streaming while editing photos or gaming.
What’s currently on the site?
From wildlife photography to short stories to cooking experiments to badly sketched drawings, this site will evolve over time. Here’s a breakdown of what you’ll currently find.
Documentary
This is where you’ll find photography and other content that is more journalistic in nature. I.E. wildlife, nature, travel, etc. If I find it cool, or want to learn about it, you’ll find it here.
Wonderland
This is where you’ll find creative works that are more existential in nature. Nah, just kidding, this is a straight Alice in Wonderland reference, featuring mushrooms and other weirdness.
Apothecary
I enjoy cooking, herbalism, making concoctions, cocktails, cocktail bitters, tea blends, etc. This is not medical advice and probably not suited for anyone.
Writings & Commentary
This is where you’ll find writings, both fiction and non-fiction. I’ll muse on a range of topics, or, maybe, tell a story here and there.
“When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence.”
—Ansel Adams
Thank you for taking the time check out my first blog post. Follow me on social media to stay updated on my latest posts, updates, and creative endeavors. Thank you for being a part of my story, and let's get to exploring the world together.
Check out my About Page and Contact Page for more info.
