“Upper West Side” 2011
I don’t get excited by snow anymore. My friend Dave hits Central Park and takes many a beautiful landscape of the snow laden branches of the suddenly pristine winter wonderland. Then he told me his biggest challenge in post-processing his pictures is, removing all the other photographers! This winter the snow piled up and lasted forever. There’s still December snow on some corners as we turn the calendar to March. I went out photographed all the crusty dirty snow and found that, “Black is still beautiful” even when it comes to frozen water…
All Photos © Matt Weber
“Offspring Approves of Double Vision!”
I finally got my copies of “Double Vision” the book on Coney Island which I did with Mike Peters. I think the book came off very well and can’t complain. I was one of those people who was pessimistic about the capabilities of Blurb. It’s nice to be wrong sometimes. My daughter likes the book too, which considering she’s got a double spread, comes as no surprise…
So far only 11 copies exist. Be the owner of copy #12 by following this link:
Before the Future Came and Bit Me!
In 1977 when I took my girl to see this movie, I thought it sucked. Lame music and stupid white guys from Brooklyn. If you would have told me back then that 34 years later I would consider the film a classic and at 3 am half asleep, I’d take a picture of my TV set this good, with my telephone no less, well I would have had to consult a copy of “Future Shock” to see if this scenario was likely…I never read Toffler’s look into the future, but I guess he must have been right about enough stuff to make it such a bestseller. The telephone wristwatch was something which seemed to be in most futurists vision, but still hasn’t become a hit. Robots may build cars, but Rosie isn’t washing anyone’s dishes yet. That we haven’t been driving electric cars for the past quarter century is a crime…I’d be happy if they’d come up with a cancer drug that worked. That was one thing I was certain would be invented when I saw the Apollo crew land on the moon as a kid…
I still don’t own any records by The Beegees
All Photos © Matt Weber
“The Getaway!” 2010
Something’s going on, but I’m not sure what. Maybe they helped their friend, (In a nightgown with sneakers untied) escape from a hospital. Maybe he was just grounded for a few weeks. Most of the buildings on the upper west side have a second door in the kitchen which leads to a staircase for fires and emergencies. I had to use that door on occasion when I was their age to make my getaway. Maybe the kid in the gown is texting his parents and apologizing for his escape, just moments after having fled the coop…
© Matt Weber
NEW BOOK! “Coney Island-Double Vision”
A couple of years ago I came up with an idea for a book and thanks to some great work by Mike Peters, this has come to fruition! Most street photographers do their best work alone. Then they sit at their computers trying to figure out ways to promote their work. The solo nature of photography may be necessary most of the time, but I feel that to work with other photographers is a nice change of pace and I’m very pleased with the way this book turned out. I sent Mike 40 some odd images and he was able to search his archives and come up with many of his own pictures which complemented mine just perfectly. I was astonished that I had no changes in mind after looking at his layout…I hope you agree that sometimes TWO chefs can actually make the soup better!
The simple concept was that I make rectangular pictures in Black & White, and Mike makes his beautiful square images in color. Neither of us stage our photographs and the book is a nice view of separate but similar approaches to documenting one of New York’s most important and historic neighborhoods…
The book is a full size hard cover (12″ X 12″) with a dust jacket and is being sold at cost for the time being. If you want to buy a copy and have it signed, I’m fairly certain that we can accommodate you.
“Leveling Coney Island” 2010
The wreckers have been having a field day out at Coney Island lately. I dread my next trip out there, as I will find a few empty lots in place of some of Coney’s oldest buildings. I am very skeptical as to whether or not the new Coney Island will still be a place where the working class can come and enjoy themselves. Time will tell…
All Photos © Matt Weber

















