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He shares insights into his exciting job in this interview.","Matt Lester is a photographer for higher education institutions across the country. He works with quite a few Canto customers, like the University of Redlands and the University & College Designers Association (UCDA). We had a chance to chat with Matt about the exciting journey that led to his love of documentary storytelling! Hi Matt! […]","Matt Lester is a photographer for higher education institutions across the country. He works with quite a few Canto customers,...","\u003Cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Matt Lester is a photographer for higher education institutions across the country. He works with quite a few \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fcustomers\u002F\">Canto customers\u003C\u002Fa>, like the University of Redlands and the University & College Designers Association (UCDA). We had a chance to chat with Matt about the exciting journey that led to his love of documentary storytelling!\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"536\" src=\"\u002Fcdn\u002Fen\u002F2020\u002F07\u002F19191537\u002FCreative-Spotlight-Matt-Lester-1024x536.png\" alt=\"Matt Lester, professional photographer and photojournalist.\" class=\"wp-image-46417\" srcset=\"\u002Fcdn\u002Fen\u002F2020\u002F07\u002F19191537\u002FCreative-Spotlight-Matt-Lester-1024x536.png 1024w, \u002Fcdn\u002Fen\u002F2020\u002F07\u002F19191537\u002FCreative-Spotlight-Matt-Lester-450x236.png 450w, \u002Fcdn\u002Fen\u002F2020\u002F07\u002F19191537\u002FCreative-Spotlight-Matt-Lester-768x402.png 768w, \u002Fcdn\u002Fen\u002F2020\u002F07\u002F19191537\u002FCreative-Spotlight-Matt-Lester.png 1200w\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\u003Ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Hi Matt! Can you tell me a bit about your background and what you do?\u003C\u002Fh3>\u003Cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">My background is photojournalism – right out of college, I worked at a newspaper. I wanted to work on projects that were more in-depth, like magazine and editorial photography, so I transitioned into doing freelance work. My wife is a writer, so we would team up on projects and be able to provide both the writing and the photography.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of our clients was an international relief and development agency based in Pennsylvania, and the director of communications wanted to do National Geographic type storytelling. My wife and I got to work on projects where we had a week to study women’s issues in, for example, rural Bangladesh. We would live in a village while photographing and writing about daily life there.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The agency had an opening for a full time writer, and my wife got the job, so we moved to Pennsylvania from Texas. When we were living in Texas, I did some work for a graphic design firm that had higher education clients, and I realized that photojournalism and documentary storytelling translated well to higher ed.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the northeast, there’s tons of colleges and universities. It was the market I could delve into and tell those stories. So, now I’m a photographer specializing in work for higher education, specifically student recruiting, admissions, material, fundraising and advancement.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">That’s an incredible story! Do you have a favorite place you’ve been or project you’ve worked on while abroad?\u003C\u002Fh3>\u003Cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I’ve been to Afghanistan a couple of times and that’s one of my favorite places to travel. It’s beautiful and people are so hospitable and friendly. The last time I was there was about three years ago and we were photographing a girls education project in some rural villages.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A lot of the things I’m photographing on these trips are education projects, which have been a fun way to give back and capture education at a very different level. The kids are hungry to learn and see education as a way to make their lives better.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"\u002Fcdn\u002Fen\u002F2020\u002F07\u002F19191536\u002FLester_042717_1073-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"A woman using technical equipment.\" class=\"wp-image-46421\" srcset=\"\u002Fcdn\u002Fen\u002F2020\u002F07\u002F19191536\u002FLester_042717_1073-1024x682.jpg 1024w, \u002Fcdn\u002Fen\u002F2020\u002F07\u002F19191536\u002FLester_042717_1073-450x300.jpg 450w, \u002Fcdn\u002Fen\u002F2020\u002F07\u002F19191536\u002FLester_042717_1073-768x512.jpg 768w, \u002Fcdn\u002Fen\u002F2020\u002F07\u002F19191536\u002FLester_042717_1073-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, \u002Fcdn\u002Fen\u002F2020\u002F07\u002F19191536\u002FLester_042717_1073.jpg 2000w\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\u003Ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">If you could only photograph one thing for the rest of your career, what would you choose?\u003C\u002Fh3>\u003Cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I really enjoy capturing interaction between people. On campuses there’s the serendipity of running into things happening. I’ll walk through the library or student center, find this great group of students and ask if I can photograph for 15 minutes while they’re studying or hanging out. The atmosphere of a university is energetic! People are excited to be there, they’re learning and they’re having a good time. There’s so many stories just happening, it’s a great environment to work in.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Since universities have transitioned to digital learning environments, how do you stay inspired?\u003C\u002Fh3>\u003Cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We live in a colonial city that’s been around since the mid-1700s with all these compact neighborhoods. My wife had the great idea of walking every block in the whole city, so we ordered a paper map and just started walking. It’s been really cool because it gives me a creative outlet to focus on architecture and street photography. We’ve lived here for 15 years and it’s like we’re traveling in our own town. We’re seeing new things that we hadn’t seen before, like details on buildings and color palettes. When you’re driving by and moving really quickly, you just don’t notice those things.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" src=\"\u002Fcdn\u002Fen\u002F2020\u002F07\u002F19191537\u002FLester_053120_1466.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of an old tree growing next to a wooden fence.\" class=\"wp-image-46419\" srcset=\"\u002Fcdn\u002Fen\u002F2020\u002F07\u002F19191537\u002FLester_053120_1466.jpg 600w, \u002Fcdn\u002Fen\u002F2020\u002F07\u002F19191537\u002FLester_053120_1466-450x338.jpg 450w\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\u003Ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Do you have any advice for aspiring photographers?\u003C\u002Fh3>\u003Cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Photographers tend to get typecast for doing a certain kind of work or subject matter. It’s important to figure out what you want to photograph and focus on that. From there, build a client base and get known for your subject matter. I feel like I stumbled into doing higher ed work and realized, ‘Wow, this is a lot of fun. I really enjoy doing this.’\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Thanks, Matt! Check out more of Matt’s photography on his \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmatthewlester.com\u002F\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">website\u003C\u002Fa>.\u003C\u002Fh3>",4,{"url":37,"url_md":38,"alt":39,"height":40,"width":41},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.canto.com\u002Fcdn\u002Fen\u002F2020\u002F07\u002F19191534\u002FLester_053120_1727-scaled.jpg","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.canto.com\u002Fcdn\u002Fen\u002F2020\u002F07\u002F19191534\u002FLester_053120_1727-450x337.jpg","",1920,2560,[43],{"id":44,"slug":44,"title":45,"path":46},"industry-insights","Industry insights","\u002Fpost-category\u002Findustry-insights\u002F",[48,55,62],{"featuredImage":49,"postId":50,"slug":51,"title":52,"description":53,"path":54},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.canto.com\u002Fcdn\u002Fen\u002F2020\u002F05\u002F19191744\u002Fremote-marketing-450x338.jpg",45177,"remote-marketing","Key ideas to make your remote marketing projects successful","Remote marketing strategies allow teams to efficiently finish projects without in-person communication. Here’s a guide detailing some important tips.","\u002Fblog\u002Fremote-marketing\u002F",{"featuredImage":56,"postId":57,"slug":58,"title":59,"description":60,"path":61},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.canto.com\u002Fcdn\u002Fen\u002F2022\u002F10\u002F19184417\u002Fdigital-experiences-accessible-feature-450x263.jpg",62112,"making-digital-experiences-accessible-wins-and-work-remaining","Making digital experiences accessible: Wins and work remaining","Many companies are contributing to the vision of a web where everyone can experience, enjoy and transact online without barriers. But we still have work to do.","\u002Fblog\u002Fmaking-digital-experiences-accessible-wins-and-work-remaining\u002F",{"featuredImage":63,"postId":64,"slug":65,"title":66,"description":67,"path":68},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.canto.com\u002Fcdn\u002Fen\u002F2019\u002F02\u002F19193626\u002Fomnichannel-marketing-11-450x253.jpg",21180,"omnichannel-marketing","Omnichannel marketing: What it is and how it works","Omnichannel marketing connects the dots on a customer's journey through marketing channels without disruption. Learn more here.","\u002Fblog\u002Fomnichannel-marketing\u002F",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":70},"\u003Cpath fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M9.175 10.825Q8 9.65 8 8t1.175-2.825T12 4t2.825 1.175T16 8t-1.175 2.825T12 12t-2.825-1.175M4 20v-2.8q0-.85.438-1.562T5.6 14.55q1.55-.775 3.15-1.162T12 13t3.25.388t3.15 1.162q.725.375 1.163 1.088T20 17.2V20zm2-2h12v-.8q0-.275-.137-.5t-.363-.35q-1.35-.675-2.725-1.012T12 15t-2.775.338T6.5 16.35q-.225.125-.363.35T6 17.2zm7.413-8.587Q14 8.825 14 8t-.587-1.412T12 6t-1.412.588T10 8t.588 1.413T12 10t1.413-.587M12 18\"\u002F>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":72},"\u003Cpath fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M12 14q-.425 0-.712-.288T11 13t.288-.712T12 12t.713.288T13 13t-.288.713T12 14m-4.712-.288Q7 13.426 7 13t.288-.712T8 12t.713.288T9 13t-.288.713T8 14t-.712-.288M16 14q-.425 0-.712-.288T15 13t.288-.712T16 12t.713.288T17 13t-.288.713T16 14m-4 4q-.425 0-.712-.288T11 17t.288-.712T12 16t.713.288T13 17t-.288.713T12 18m-4.712-.288Q7 17.426 7 17t.288-.712T8 16t.713.288T9 17t-.288.713T8 18t-.712-.288M16 18q-.425 0-.712-.288T15 17t.288-.712T16 16t.713.288T17 17t-.288.713T16 18M5 22q-.825 0-1.412-.587T3 20V6q0-.825.588-1.412T5 4h1V2h2v2h8V2h2v2h1q.825 0 1.413.588T21 6v14q0 .825-.587 1.413T19 22zm0-2h14V10H5z\"\u002F>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":74},"\u003Cpath fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M12 20a8 8 0 0 0 8-8a8 8 0 0 0-8-8a8 8 0 0 0-8 8a8 8 0 0 0 8 8m0-18a10 10 0 0 1 10 10a10 10 0 0 1-10 10C6.47 22 2 17.5 2 12A10 10 0 0 1 12 2m.5 5v5.25l4.5 2.67l-.75 1.23L11 13V7z\"\u002F>",1787762653734]