I am fine art landscape and wildlife photographer living in Los Angeles, CA.

Follow me on Instagram @the_bluecloud

Visit my Gallery at Crafted at Port of LA

Directions to the Gallery: https://goo.gl/maps/yTWYXSNDnWbQrhRW6

Gallery Hours:  Friday, Saturday, Sunday 12-8PM

My love of the outdoors makes for frequent forays into the Californian wilds, where I delight in the stunning vistas of Los Angeles Beaches,  and the Pacific Coast.

My company name, Blue Cloud Photography, comes from a picture I took in 1997.  After sunset the high clouds were dark blue, while some lower ones were bright orange and it only lasted seconds - I ran into the house, grabbed my camera, and snapped the picture - it sparked a never ending quest to capture that moment in time to capture that blue hour light.

What is blue hour?

Blue hour only lasts for 20 minutes and it seems to be always unpredictable.

[Sunlight has seven colors (you can see this in a rainbow): red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet {ROY G BIV}. The further light travels trough the atmosphere, the more spread out the blue lights are. Since the blue lights are spread out and less visible, the red light is more visible. Also understand that the night is only black because of the lack of light. It is actually deep blue.]

I got my first camera in 1998 after wanting to be a photographer.  I read the camera books, and poured over the camera catalogs to figure out which camera to buy, which film to use and I earned everything I could about HOW to take photographs - Aperture, Shutter speed, blah blah blah.  It was all foreign to me.  I just knew I wanted to take photos.  I didn't quite know why.  

I chose a Nikon film camera to capture my friends skateboarding and the landscapes of Lexington, KY.  One day, when my film didn't return from the lab with some epic photos, I worried and tried to find out where they went.  I finally got them back, crushed by a truck!  When digital was invented I jumped on it and bought a Nikon D200.

With that digital camera my world opened.  I looked everywhere for the shot and forgot everything that was going on, while focusing on finding something to photograph.

My Dad had a grass bush in front of his house and baby grasshoppers would sit there in the morning.  I would take images of baby grasshoppers and end up with 1,000's of shots to get the emotion of these little buggers.  It sparked my passion for macro photography. I used to take 1,000 pictures in a sitting using my Nikon D200, making sure the right grasshopper facial expression was captured.  

I printed them out and hung them on my parent's wall - which started another passion for printing.  

Fast forward ahead 17 years.  In between was 2 kids, an engineering career and starting a business.  I didn't take any pictures other than family!

One day, I saw a time-lapse online and it blew me away.  I was on a mission to get a new camera and actually take photos.  With intention and focus.

I'm so glad I did.  

My favorite hour is blue hour, especially in the morning when it is quiet and all you can hear are the seals barking as they come up for air.

I'd love to travel to more places for landscapes, for now, I am in Los Angeles trying to figure it all out.

----

Thank you for stopping by for a visit! I  hope you enjoy my photos and I encourage you reach out to me to connect on social media (instagram), or stop by my gallery in Crafted in San Pedro, CA, or just send me an email to chat!  Or let's get a coffee to chat.

Have an Awesome day!

   Matthew Partsch

Don't just exist, Live!

  - Panda Express Fortune Cookie

Visit my Gallery at Crafted at Port of LA

Friday, Saturday, Sunday 12 PM - 8PM

Directions: https://goo.gl/maps/yTWYXSNDnWbQrhRW6

2019 Abbot Kinney Festival