Matt Giraud
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  • A portrait of Amelia Hillery, a talented young actor preparing for the role of Juliet in an unconventional staging of Romeo and Juliet.
    Amelia Hillery, a talented young actress preparing for the role of Juliet in an unconventional staging of Romeo and Juliet | © Matt Giraud Photography
  • Moshow (the Cat Rapper) and his sidekick Ravioli in a still from the spot I shot for the launch of Portland’s Parking Kitty app
    Moshow the Cat Rapper and Ravioli in a still from the Parking Kitty spot | © Matt Giraud Photography
  • Joy.

    How do we get back here more often?

    Part of a series for Safe Routes Partnership, a national non-profit focused on getting kids of all ages more active and healthy.
    Swing set joy, part of a series for Safe Routes Partnership | © Matt Giraud Photography
  • The incredible flying artist George Wehn.
    The incredible flying artist George Wehn | © Matt Giraud Photography
  • Warehouses, shoulder to shoulder like a line up, fade into oblivion beyond the last faltering streetlight’s gaze. The steel padlock seizes, numb as your fingers working the reluctant key. Inside, the door’s weary creak describes a vast space you cannot see. The dead air is scented with stillness – of power cable long cooled, of bearing grease muffled with dust – distant echoes of a human hand long quiet.

    Your eyes fumble in the darkness, searching for scale and substance, and after a moment, pallid walls begin to lift out of the gloom, leaving behind a grim council of breakers brooding their latent might.

    And something else: wefted through the shadows, a single thread of purpose, and just before you understand that it is perfume, it has wrapped itself around your will and the lights come on.
    In the warehouse, a femme fatale emerges from the darkness | © Matt Giraud Photography
  • After cleaning the mighty press countless times during harvest at Kelley Fox Wines, Stephanie Sprinkle had made it her fawning puppy.
     | © Matt Giraud Photography
  • While angels look the other way, our guide Jean-Michel is devil-may-care, casting his scarf to the winds in farewell on the roof of Palais Garnier
    Jean-Michel casts his red scarf to the winds atop Palais Garnier Opéra, Paris, France | © Matt Giraud Photography
  • The audio and the ecstasy: one last shot from my portrait session with Susan Davis, podcast guru, public radio producer, and champion of the human story. I asked her to close her eyes, try to forget I was there, and imagine she was listening to something beautiful and let it take her somewhere else. Maybe it was a piece of music, but more likely, I'll bet it was a simple, quintessentially human moment, a heartbeat or signal in all the noise of our lives. And maybe it was *only* a moment, maybe just the telling pause in someone's voice that clears your attention of any other audio as you now are listening, truly listening, to nothing else, the tightening timbre as they edge toward something deeply felt, a memory of an experience that changed things for them forever, the noble struggle for control before emotion crests the dam and their voice catches. That moment of... connection, with another human being. The kind of audio that is her life's work, in other words. This is where it took her
    The audio and the ecstasy of Susan Davis, radio and podcast producer | © Matt Giraud Photography
  • I was honored to donate some of my time to a co-production of the Living History Project and The Immigrant Story, filming and interviewing a diverse cross-section of North Portland residents about their lives and communities.

    One of them was Lela Roberts, a retired school administrator active in community service. Near the end of our conversation she told me: “That’s what life is all about: how can you help somebody else make things better for all of us?”

    For a moment, I was speechless: that’s exactly it. And exactly why great teachers are great.
     | © Matt Giraud Photography
  • In addition to creating the foundational message strategy for Portland City Councilor Nick Fish’s bid for re-election, I shot the initial round of images for the campaign, including this portrait. Nick’s life-long commitment to public service is pretty inspiring, and I think the calm resolve that drives him comes through powerfully in this shot.

    So how'd he do? Despite a strong challenger, Nick earned a resounding 61.8% of the vote in the primary, well past the 50% threshold that would have forced a runoff in November. I’m really proud to have been part of the team that helped get him there.
    Portland City Councilor Nick Fish, beginning his re-election run. | © Matt Giraud Photography
  • Many Oregon winemakers believe the most complex and beautiful Pinot Noir comes when the fruit just barely ripens before winter storms sweep the vines with dilution. Here, the last of his fruit safely in fermenter, Cameron's John Paul calmly watches those storms roll in.
    Winemaker John Paul, Cameron Winery, Dundee Oregon | © Matt Giraud Photography
  • The actor Amelia Hillery, unfurled on a bed of brittle leaves as the sun sets on an autumn afternoon.
    The actor Amelia Hillery as the sun sets on an autumn afternoon | © Matt Giraud Photography
  • Jessica Boudreaux, lead guitar and vocals, Summer Cannibals, Portland Oregon
    Jessica Boudreaux, lead guitar and vocals, Summer Cannibals, Portland Oregon | © Matt Giraud Photography
  • Birds of a feather: Violet and the peacock.

    What do you think she sees?
     | © Matt Giraud Photography

Human condition 1

A few of my favorite people shots
 | © Matt Giraud Photography

I’ve photographed a lot of amazing people in my career. None of them are supermodels. Most of them aren’t even famous except to the people who love them. Yet when I get it right, every one of their portraits reveal a quiet, astonishing beauty that never fails to inspire me.

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  •    

    Amelia prepares for Juliet

    Amelia Hillery, a talented young actress preparing for the role of Juliet in an unconventional staging of Romeo and Juliet | © Matt Giraud Photography
  •    

    Moshow and his sidekick Ravioli, in a still from my Parking Kitty video

    Moshow the Cat Rapper and Ravioli in a still from the Parking Kitty spot | © Matt Giraud Photography
  •    

    Joy.

    Swing set joy, part of a series for Safe Routes Partnership | © Matt Giraud Photography
  •    

    The incredible flying artist George Wehn

    The incredible flying artist George Wehn | © Matt Giraud Photography
  •    

    The air is scented with stillness – of surging cable long cooled, of bearing grease muffled with dust – until the power comes on...

    In the warehouse, a femme fatale emerges from the darkness | © Matt Giraud Photography
  •    

    Stephanie Sprinkle, after cleaning the press at Kelley Fox Wines.

     | © Matt Giraud Photography
  •    

    Jean-Michel casts his scarf to the winds atop Palais Garnier

    Jean-Michel casts his red scarf to the winds atop Palais Garnier Opéra, Paris, France | © Matt Giraud Photography
  •    

    The audio and the ecstasy of Susan Davis, producer

    The audio and the ecstasy of Susan Davis, radio and podcast producer | © Matt Giraud Photography
  •    

    Lela Roberts, teacher and inspiration

     | © Matt Giraud Photography
  •    

    Portland City Councilor Nick Fish, beginning his re-election run.

    Portland City Councilor Nick Fish, beginning his re-election run. | © Matt Giraud Photography
  •    

    John Paul watches the first winter storms roll in.

    Winemaker John Paul, Cameron Winery, Dundee Oregon | © Matt Giraud Photography
  •    

    The actor Amelia Hillery as the sun sets on an autumn afternoon

    The actor Amelia Hillery as the sun sets on an autumn afternoon | © Matt Giraud Photography
  •    

    Jessica Boudreaux, Summer Cannibals

    Jessica Boudreaux, lead guitar and vocals, Summer Cannibals, Portland Oregon | © Matt Giraud Photography
  •    

    Birds of a feather: Violet and the peacock

     | © Matt Giraud Photography
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