10 Questions for our alumni
Matt Lavere, BA, Photography, 2010
1 - Why did you choose to attend Grand Valley?
I chose Grand Valley because of the campus size and never explored West Michigan before. I wanted a college experience outside of my hometown, Livonia, and was looking towards leaving the nest and trying out someplace new.
2 - How or why did you choose your major or main emphasis area?
I did photography as an elective at Stevenson High School in Livonia and played around with a iZone polaroid camera growing up. Ended up taking 4 photo classes in high school and after that I knew I didn't want to do anything else that kept me at a desk all day.
3 - What advice do you have for future students thinking about colleges?
No matter which college you attend, show up and do the work and learn how to be critiqued and listen to other people's opinions without being quick to judge. It's easy to be skipping classes or dropping them because they didn't like the course, the professor, or the time of day it's offered at. When you're paying for it though you should be taking advantage of all opportunities the school has to offer. Last advice to is study abroad as long as you can ;)
4 - What advice do you have for current students thinking about careers?
Failure is expected. If you think you know everything - you don't. There's always something to be learned or get better at.
5 - What did you do after graduating?
I worked for a painter in Saugatuck, MI immediately following graduation in May 2010 but it didn't work out. I ended up traveling 3 months after graduation and eventually working at Staples in Grandville to just pay bills. After 6 months I formally quit and started freelancing in April 2011 to become a photo assistant.
6 - What are you doing now?
I'm a full time freelance photographer based in Detroit, MI specializing in environmental portraiture and Polaroid film. In the last two years I've flown over 175,000 miles with Delta, 80,000 in a rental car, and about another 50,000 with my personal vehicle. Some of my clients include Billboard Magazine, Car Design News, DBusiness Magazine, Dearborn Financial Credit Union, The Food Network, Formula SAE, GMC Magazine, HOUR Magazine, Meredith Corporation, Specialized Bicycles, UAW/Ford Magazine, Volkswagen, and ZF.
7 - How have you used the skills you developed in your field of study in your life and/or career after GVSU?
A lot of the fundamentals in black and white photography like bracketing, reciprocal exposures, and compositions I use everyday. Not every photographer I've worked with understand reciprocal exposures and on commercial sets. As far as life goes I have continued to travel the world for business and pleasure with no signs of slowing down anytime soon. GVSU allowed me a few opportunities to learn outside of the classroom in
8 - What is the best advice you got from an instructor at Grand Valley?
Best advise from an instructor was if we didn't get the shot we wanted - go out and reshoot it. Most of the time I can't reshoot an assignment so when I'm out working I try to grab as much content as possible to give my client options to pick from.
9 - What is your favorite memory of being a student at Grand Valley?
My favorite memory of being a student at Grand Valley was skateboarding around campus and hanging out with my peers in the darkroom printing. I spent a lot of hours at Lake Superior Hall and all nighters too.
__________
Image credits: Matt Lavere. You can
see Matt's work at www.MattLaVere.com or on
Instagram at @MattLaVerePhoto. Matt
was also invited by President Haas to speak as the first alumni at the
GVSU Convocation in August 2014. Matt's speech gives a concise message
about failure and resilience. Watch it at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7qvJ_bfn_4&t=1945s
Interest Area(s)
Photography
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