Untitled Document

Story and photos by Erin Pyles

STUD STATS:
Name: Matt Eich
Age: 19
Major: Photojournalism
Hometown: Suffolk, VA
Relationship Status: taken

In his second year at Ohio University, Matt Eich is definitely pushing the envelope when it comes to photography. His skill in photojournalism has granted him the honor of being included in the highly sought-after College Photographer of the Year competition in 2005. Two of his photographs were included, one as a winning photo in the category “Feature” and one as an award of excellence in the category “Pictorial.” Matt’s talent for photography isn’t the only thing to notice—he’s also been playing piano and guitar for almost ten years. When he’s not searching for interesting photo stories to capture, you can probably find him performing in his current band, Cheri Desole. Here, Matt takes a minute to share how he finds the inspiration to do the amazing things he does.

What instruments do you play?

I started playing piano when I was seven, but I decided it was too girly when I was 10, so I switched to guitar. The truth is, at that point in my life, I was afraid my little sister was going to get better than me at piano and I wanted to do something different to lessen that chance. When I was 15, I realized that I was still in love with piano, so I sort of picked it back up. Then, at 17 I started playing the drums, but I never developed any real drumming ability. So mostly I play guitar and piano, though I still dabble with drums and bass.

What inspires you as a musician/photographer?

Inspiration is fickle: there one moment, gone the next. It is about harnessing something that keeps passion alive and being consistent in your work. The work of other photographers inspires me constantly. My classmates are amazing, and many of them are already looking at the bigger picture of how their work affects not only their subjects and themselves, but the viewer as well. My professors also inspire me, not only with their photographic abilities, but with their ability to balance career and family, as well.
Musically, I’ve been playing less lately, but I continue to draw on a lot of music as inspiration for images. The way they flow and the emotional impact they have are more logical to me when thinking of them in a lyrical sense, like a song.

All of your photographs are extremely expressive. What do you look for when you’re shooting, and what do you want to convey with the images?

Photography has allowed me to study people; the human condition if you will. People fascinate me; I guess that comes while waiting for a photograph that best says something about the subject and his or her life. I think photographers also pull from their own emotions and occasionally their reactions to certain situations are revealed through their images.

How has coming to Ohio challenged you creatively?

Many seem to perceive Athens as a black hole for inspiration because it’s a small town and there’s not a lot going on. I think that challenge has made photo students look harder and dig deeper for unique subjects that are relevant to what we’re each personally interested in. I’ve become interested in the Appalachian communities and the culture of poverty that perpetuates itself around Athens, aspects of this community that are often overlooked by students because it doesn’t pertain directly to our lives.

If you didn’t have to worry about money or education, what would you be doing right now?

I guess I would just travel around and find stories that I feel are socially significant to spend excessive amounts of time on. When I get involved in a project I do not feel like it is ever finished but restrictions of money and education put a time limit on telling a story.