Beautiful Danger
Mt St. Helens in Summer
Beautiful Danger
Mt St. Helens in Summer
Awards
World Photo Annual
2023Nominee
Landscapes
Non Professional
Beautiful Danger
Mt St. Helens in Summer
About Artist
Matthew Johnston
I am a retired combat medic with several combat deployments. I suffer from PTSD among other physical aliments that ended my military career. During treatment for my PTSD, it was suggested that I take up a hobby that did not require preplanning. I tried several forms of art, and nothing seemed to help. The last artform I tried was photography and started to feel whole again. Taking photos fulfilled my need to feel like I was on patrol in some foreign country. By that I mean to say I had to keep my head moving constantly looking in every direction for that next photo, just like finding bad guys. You as artists should not be surprised by how much you can miss always looking down. My camera became the tool to keep my head up, and body moving. Always looking for that next adventure, my little fix of adrenaline. After a while of just walking around taking random images, it was pointed out that I have talent for taking photos. That is when I committed to photography. Little did I know what that commitment really meant. I started taking my photography seriously and enrolled at the Evergreen State College for my Bachelor of Arts degree. It was an eye-opening experience to what I thought was a simple practice. I learned that there is a lot more to photography than running around clicking my shutter. I have been obsessed with finding what I have come to know as the decisive moment. I want to master the abilities to share my emotions and what I see while out exploring wild, dangerous, and emotional landscapes.
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