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Jordan Matter (born: October 6, 1966)[1] is an American photographer who is famous for his headshots. He is also the author of several widely popular books, including ‘Dancers Among Us: A Celebration of Joy in the Everyday’. A grandson of the renowned photographer, Herbert Matter, Jordan was also inspired by the photojournalist Henri Cartier-Bresson. Matter was not initially intent on pursuing photography as a career; in fact, he was a popular baseball player during his college days and wanted to become an actor. Even though coming from a family with a rich legacy in photography, Matter’s photography career started in a very unorthodox way. He took some headshots of one of his model friends and those pictures went on to become very popular. Soon, he started getting offers from aspiring models who wanted him to photograph them. Several agents also began recommending him to models, thereby helping him embark on a lucrative career as a photographer. Matter has since been profiled by major media outlets like MSNBC, CBS, NBC, and BBC, and has been interviewed by Tyra Banks. In addition, he has appeared in ‘The Today Show’ and has been featured in top magazines. Matter is known for his out-of-the-box approach to photography, a unique talent that sets him apart from other professionals in the same field.[2]
Personal Life[]
Jordan Matter was born on October 6, 1966, in New York City, New York. He is the son of film director Alex Matter and former model Paula Feiten, and a grandson of the Swiss-born American photographer and graphic designer, Herbert Matter, who gained fame for his use of photomontage in commercial art during the World War II. Jordan is married and has two children named Salish (born: November 29, 2009 and Hudson (born: December 29, 2005). He often posts videos of his children on his YouTube channel.
Career[]
Jordan Matter, as a young man, never thought of becoming a professional photographer. Even though his father was a successful film director, his mother a model, and his grandfather a popular photographer, Jordan was more interested in playing baseball. He also aspired to become an actor in the future.
However, destiny had other plans for him and he ended up becoming a photographer like his grandfather in an interesting way. Jordan Matter wanted to explore something deep in photography, which according to him, is an art that should describe more than just objects or faces.
While attending an exhibit by the iconic French humanist photographer, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Matter actually found the untold stories and the deeper meaning he sought in the photographs. He was deeply moved by the photographs which expressed the stories of humans through the poignant images. Jordan Matter was profoundly inspired by the work of the photojournalist.
He once visited a model friend and saw some of her headshots which didn’t impress him at all. He couldn’t find anything in those photos which described her individuality and found the images to be lacking depth in meaning. He just took his friend to the roof the next day and took some of her headshots. His friend was much impressed by the photos and she even started recommending Matter to others. With his growing popularity, he even started receiving testimonials from modeling agents who began sending their clients to him.
Trivia[]
- Jordan Matter and Salish Matter won the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards 2024 for Favorite Creator Family.[3]