My name is Matt Tobia and I've been shooting seriously since early summer '12. Artistically, I've been a musician for 11 years, but recently I found myself wanting to branch out into visual art. Playing mostly electric guitar, I felt like I was cooped up indoors by my creative outlet, and photography seemed like a natural next step to take my art out into the world. I'd been interested in photography since taking a digital photography class my senior year of high school, but didn't have the money for both guitar and photography until recently. I shoot with a Nikon D3100 body and more often than not, a Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 lens. I also have a Nikon 50mm f/1.8 G prime and 55-200mm f/3.5-5.6 telephoto that I use on occasion. I've also began collecting old 35mm film cameras from family members and I plan to start shooting more film in the future. I take most of my photos in and around Downtown Raleigh, as I enjoy the candid, exploratory nature of street photography. I find myself particularly drawn to both the beauty and decay of modern industrial society, and how it affects the people who live in it. I use the camera as an excuse to both explore and slow down, helping me pay attention to the little things that are all around. Most of my shots aren't planned or set up, I tend to stumble upon them; using whatever natural lighting is available. Overall though, I just love the art of photography and how it has changed the way I view the world.

The photographs on this Flickr account are compressed low-quality JPEGs. Framed prints from the original high-quality photos are available for sale in various sizes. Please call/text Matt at (919) 830-2196 or send an e-mail to lostbehindtheglass@gmail.com for more information.

Thanks!