Matt Haines Photography

Family Portrait Photography for Ventura, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles and Orange Counties.

Voted “Best Photographer of Ventura County”!


It’s official! I’ve been voted “Best Photographer of Ventura County”, in the Ventura County Reporter’s annual readers poll.

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Magazine Cover


black and white photo in upper left is mine.

black and white photo in upper left is mine.

Just some quick self-horn-tooting: My photo called “Soccer Moment”, which won second place in the Ventura City Photo Contest, was also used on the ‘My Ventura’ adult education/recreational class schedule for the city. I didn’t know about it until someone said “hey isn’t that your son on the cover of this magazine?” Here’s the picture again:


An American.


I became an American citizen today.

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Tutorial: “The Highpass/Hard Light Look”


Here’s a more in-depth tutorial on the “Highpass/Hard Light” look. By the way, this probably has a better name, but no one’s ever told me it if there is.

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Fear at the Fair


A few weeks ago, my family attended the Ventura County Fair. At one point, my oldest sone (who’s five) pointed to a grown-up ride and said “can we go on that?” It looked innoculous enough. It’s just a set of swing-chairs suspended from long chains. You’re lifted up and spun around. Big deal. I was a little concerned the height might bother my son, but he seemed intent, and I could snap a few pictures.

The chairs lift off, and it’s fun! My son looks a little worried, but I reassure him all is well. But then…the speed picks up. Those chairs fly up and out, over empty space. And the worst part is that they swing back and forth, in and out. It suddenly occurs to me that those chains can’t possibly withstand the centrifugal force of a grown man.

I realize, for the first time in many years, I am scared to the point of panicking.

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Christmas in August?


Christmas cards in August? This couple is planning ahead! If only I could encourage all my clients to be so forward-thinking! Heck, if only I could do that myself…

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Keith “Clizark” Clark (Hip Hop Producer)


Keith Clizark Clark

Keith "Clizark" Clark

I had the pleasure yesterday of photographing multi-platinum hip hop producer Keith “Clizark” Clark, in the warehouse of a music-library company called Big Fish Audio. Keith has worked with Snoop Dog, Dr Dre and others. This shoot was for the cover art of an upcoming hip hop music library called “Platinum Essentials III”.

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El Matador, Thursday Morning


A lot of morning shoots lately, in an unusually busy August! 8:30 am in Malibu this time. I’ve known this family for awhile, but this is the first chance I’ve had to take their family portraits.

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Model Portfolio


I did a model portfolio shoot last week. Since most of my portraiture is done outdoors, I don’t have a regular studio for this sort of thing. So I borrowed the studio/warehouse of a friend of mine, who happens to be an automotive photographer. His warehouse is more for storage than it is shooting, so it worked out very well. It’s nice to stretch out of my normal ‘comfort zone’…

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Sunday Morning, Oxnard Beach


Drenched! And another wave is coming in fast…

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