Matthew R. Hibbard

There are some things technology can't touch, photography is one of them. While the gadgets and software programs have evolved, the technique and expertise hasn't. So far, there isn't a program that can tell you what to shoot and if that photo is worth keeping. (I imagine there'll be a day...eventually.) My ideas are safe for now. It's the gadgets that are changing. 

Recently, I bought myself a grown-up phone (and along with it, a grown-up cell phone bill). I purchased an iPhone 4S which included a 8-megapixel camera and a slew of other goodies. While I was excited about having the Internet on my phone and Twitter with me 24/7, the one thing I was most excited about was that small camera on the back of the phone. 

The images from this phone are crisp and sharp. The colors are vivid and rich. The images are comparable to my DSLR, but not better. From capturing breaking news to holiday events, this phone is definitely a more socially-accpeted item to have. Ever try taking a picture of yourself with a friend using a DSLR? Not easy.

While the camera phone does give me flexibility, it hasn't separated me from my bread and butter camera. Something about tapping a screen just doesn't give me the same satisfaction. The ability to view my light meter, adjust my ISO and work with the focus allows me to be more active in the picture-taking process. The camera allows for my whole body to be part of the action. My hands work the shutter, my eyes zero in on the subject and my feet are postioned just right. With a camera phone, all the action you're getting is with your finger. Where's the love?

I'm wondering where I fit in. Team cell phone or team DSLR? Can I belong to both? Below are some of the photos I took using my cell phone using the popular photo application Instagram. 

When you work downtown every day of the week, you start to notice details. You notice the benches in the park, the flags hung on the lamp posts and the intricate carvings on the buildings. These buildings, some of them skyscrapers, are all unique in their own way.

Take the Thomas F. Eagleton United States Courthouse pictured above. Every window, every nudge and every column is built symmetrically. One of the newest skyscrapers to dot the St. Louis skyline, this building is the largest single courthouse in the United States.

Inside this 557 foot building sits the United States District for the Eastern District of Missouri. Heard about the NFL hearings these past couple of weeks? Well, those conversations were debated in this courthouse.

It's the fifth tallest building in Missouri and mimics the classical tripartite scheme, a architectural technique that follows a split-level concept. The building cost $186 million to build and remains one of my favorite buildings downtown.

As a photographer, I am constantly looking for shapes and angles. This building blends beauty with the simple rules of geometry, creating a picturesque statement for me and the rest of the St. Louis area.

White sandy beaches, tropical plants, brightly painted houses and an island devoted to a few important guests. If that doesn't describe a piece of paradise, I don't know what does.

My brother and his wife were married on North Captiva Island off the west coast of Florida. The weather was hot, the water was warmer, but the island breeze brought the right amount of coolness to make you feel at ease.

The journey to the island was quite an elaborate system of transportation methods. My family drove to the St. Louis airport (which was delayed a few hours), landed in Fort Meyers and hopped on a shuttle. We than took the shuttle to the ferry, sailed to the island (in pitch dark) where my brother met us with golf carts to take us to our house.

The island, which isn't big to begin with, is separated into two resorts. We were guests of the North Captiva Island Club Resort. For two and half days we relaxed at our beach house and soaked up the tropical landscape. This was defiantly the place to get married if you wanted the outdoor beach experience.

My brother got married Saturday evening just as the sun was beginning to fall into the ocean. The warm glow of the sun eliminated the wedding and coated the backdrop gold.

It was a small wedding, but a wedding that was intimate, simplistic and above all memorable. It was a wedding surrounded by nature and witnessed by their closest loved ones. It was quiet a day in paradise.

Light can come in so many different shades and colors. As a photographer, those variations of light can impact a photo dramatically. Below are photos illustrating different qualities of light.

This photo was taken in a stairwell in Jesse Hall. I was able to capture the light streaming into the windows and bending on each stair. I love the contrast between the direct sunlight and the shadows. I also liked the perspective and shapes within the frame.

It started with an ice storm. Then it snowed…and snowed and snowed. The flakes started falling Tuesday morning and didn’t stop until the next day. When the snow finally stopped, it left close to 18 inches of fresh snow on the ground.

Classes at the University of Missouri were cancelled three days in a row breaking a school record. Below are some of the photos I took of the 2011 blizzard.

It’s strange to tell people that this semester will be my last semester of my college career. My mind starts to flash back to the days when I was a freshman just four years ago. Back then, I was starting fresh and exploring my newfound independence. Now, I'm taking risks, choosing adventures and finally growing up.

But I’m not going to let this semester just slip away. No, I’m planning on sucking all the life out of these last few months of college. My first order of business, learn to fine-tine my photography skills.

With the help of professor Karen Mitchell (visit her blog here), I will hopefully learn the techniques of photography and all that my camera has to offer. In the end, I hope that by learning the mechanics behind the camera I can provide better images in the future.

My first assignment was learning how to shoot a photo using the manual setting. This setting allows you to manipulate the ISO, aperture and shutter speed. At first, all of these settings were overwhelming and the photos I took weren’t very good. But after reading my light meter and discovering a balance, I began to see an improvement.

The photo above is just one result from that exercise. The focus is good. I was able to capture the warm light sliding off the snow and I avoided overexposure for the most part.

Like my willingness to switch into the manual setting on my camera, I am eager to take risks this semester and soak in as much as I can. I’ll worry about finding a job later, for now I’m living each day one step at a time.

“The physics of movement when shooting is always compared to where you are at, not the actual movement of the subject. So shooting a car moving towards you or away from you will illustrate less movement than something that is moving parallel to you.”