When I think of cities I’d like to visit, I’m afraid Indianapolis isn’t at the top of the list. The whole state kind of scares me. For some reason I envision burly white guys in white pants chanting USA in a sports bar. Or tired ladies with heavy eye make-up buying case after case of Diet Pepsi at a gigantic Kroger sto… Read more

When I think of cities I’d like to visit, I’m afraid Indianapolis isn’t at the top of the list. The whole state kind of scares me. For some reason I envision burly white guys in white pants chanting USA in a sports bar. Or tired ladies with heavy eye make-up buying case after case of Diet Pepsi at a gigantic Kroger store. However, seeing Indiana and Indianapolis through Matt’s camera has softened my aversion to the land of Dan Quayle. His photos capture the grit and glory of a real working class city that’s kind of in the middle of nowhere. There’s lots of Midwestern flavor in his shots, and the humble earthiness and practicality of heartland life. Some times plain is beautiful, and boredom can be poignant. He gets that. And there’s plenty of decay and sly humor in his frames, which keeps me coming back for more. While his Flickr shots are always worth a look, if you like what you see you oughtta take a gander at his Indianapolis photo blog too - “The Heidelberger Papers” (http://mheidelberger.blogspot.com/). There’s more context and commentary there, and some focus. Well worth the bandwidth. That’s for sure.