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Welcome

Thanks for stopping by. I'm Matt and I own and operate MJ Gillespie Photography. Photographing moments is what I love and I firmly believe that you should do what you love. If you enjoy what you do, your results can be true and sincere and I can honestly say that I LOVE what I do.

Seasons may change but moments will last forever in our hearts. I'm just here to make sure you don't forget those moments.

Grab a cup of coffee, take a seat and get to know me a little better. I have plenty to look at and hopefully you enjoy every minute that you're here. I'm open to capturing your most valued moments if you allow me the priviledge to do so. Contact me by email: mjgillespie@me.com or by phone: 706.442.3456 and let's talk.

[matt]

Real success is finding your lifework in the work that you love. ~David McCollough


Thanks to Ritchie White for the image to the right.

Fishing in Port St. Joe, Florida

June 30, 2009 – 10:46 pm

Earlier this month my dad and I along with a couple of friends of ours, Wayne and Jimmy, took a trip to Mexico Beach/Port St Joe, FL to do a little fishing.  My dad bought a center console Mako last year and has been dieing to take it out in the ocean.  We had an a great time.  Fishing for spanish, kings, grouper, snapper and anything else we could catch.  :)

We had also entered into a fishing tournament with Bluewater Outriggers for their Charity Tournament.  We didn’t do so well so instead of coming back at the allotted time for weigh ins we just stayed out and continued to fish.  The next day however, we went back out and landed some very nice fish.  We caught several spanish and kings including a 40 lbs King that my dad pulled in, and I landed about a 3 1/2 - 4 foot shark.  Check out the link above for pictures from the tournament (they are not mine though).  I think that we may make this an annual trip.  Lots of fun.

So with all that said, I unfortunately have no pictures from the tournament or even from fishing.  I took my camera out the first day but was so scared to pull it out of the console since saltwater can eat up a camera quickly.  But I did get one shot from the trip back to our hotel of the sunset which I liked so I’ll post it up.

Enjoy!  :)

I was terrified to pull out the camera on the boat yet I wasn’t scared to hang it outside the back window to catch this shot.  Go figure.  :\

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  1. Eric   -  

    Love this

engaged :: Cali and Nick (Albany, TX)

June 30, 2009 – 2:09 am

So Cali, my cousin, and Nick were married last month and I had the honor of shooting their wedding.  Unfortunately, I’ve been behind on editing and have not kept up with my blog post so here is a look at some of my favorite images from Cali and Nick’s engagement session.

We started the day at a state park, then worked our way to an old airport runway that hasn’t been in use in many many years.  Later that night we drove from Abilene to Albany, TX and walked the deserted streets capturing some great images… the silence of the night going through the small town was amazing.

Wedding images will be posted in another blog soon.  For now, enjoy the images from Cali and Nick’s engaged session.

Congratulations Cali and Nick!!















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  1. Lorna Ayers   -  

    These engagement pictures are only the tip of the talent iceberg! When I was looking for a photographer for Cali’s wedding, I knew the specific style I wanted. No traditional “bride-standing-in-flowerdy-garden-with-a-frozen-smile” pictures. Looking at Matt’s portfolio, I knew he and I were on the same page. But I had no idea how good he really is!!

    He is able to draw out the unique and spectacular that is hidden in the ordinary. Inanimate objects come to life and tell a story. He captures the intimacy of a moment and you can almost hear the laughter in the smiles!

    He always has a smile and the patience of Job. With him, it is all about the client and what they want. He fulfilled every request with a smile in the middle of a hectic time. He was the calm in my storm!!

    A true artist with a passion for excellence. Thank you Matt! You are awesome!

Columbus Photography Group Session

June 29, 2009 – 12:17 pm

OK, so I know that it’s been a VERY long time since I last blogged.  I’ve been extremely busy and have tons of sessions to catch up on with the blog.  But for now, I’m posting a couple images from a session that I was a part of with our local photography group.

With a couple of volunteer models, we drove up to Manchester, GA to an abandoned factory.  Covered with rust and vines, this was an awesome place for pictures.  We started outside but the rain directed us inside shortly after starting.

Here are a couple of images that I captured from that fun session with more to come soon.


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seniorSession :: Kaylyn {preview}

April 5, 2009 – 1:24 am

Today was another day packed with sessions.  Kaylyn was my second session this afternoon and here is just a quick preview of what’s to come.

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  1. Christopher   -  

    When you can “feel” a photo you know you have done a good job. And i have to say looking at some of your senior work, these are great. You can feel their eyes, their warmth, just so much. Well done.

seniorSession :: Taylor {preview}

April 4, 2009 – 10:23 pm

Today I had the pleasure of shooting Taylor’s senior portraits and here’s a preview of the session with more to come later.

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  1. Charla   -  

    Great shots, as usual :)

View from the garage…

April 2, 2009 – 11:51 pm

Here are just a couple of image I captured from the top of the TSYS parking garage here in Columbus, GA. The main building sits right next to the Chattahoochee River.  The bridge below was a drivable bridge but several years back the city has basically let it sit as a walk way for people to cross over between Columbus Georgia and Phenix City Alabama.

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seniorSession :: Courtney and Leslie {sneak peak}

March 29, 2009 – 5:00 pm

Today I had the pleasure of shooting two senior sessions.  The first was for Courtney who is a student at Shaw High School.  


 

The second session today was with Leslie who is a student at Columbus High School.  Here’s a sneak of Leslie’s fun session today.

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  1. Jon   -  

    This second one’s great.. I LOVE the look of the tilt shift. Part of me wishes I had one but the other part says I’d prolly just get lazy and shoot em all like this if I did :) (you seem to have good self control) :)

    Jon

weddingSession :: Deborah and Albe {sneak peak}

March 28, 2009 – 11:39 pm

This morning, I awoke to the sounds of crashing thunder.  Normally I wouldn’t be so worried but today was Deborah and Albe’s wedding day.  Luckily the rain slowed to a sprinkle at the ceremony and then stopped by the time the ceremony ended.  At the end of the reception Deborah and Albe decided to take the focus away from themselves today and give their son Donavan the spotlight.  They bought him a puppy and decided to give it to him at the reception.  Watching his eyes light up when he saw that puppy was awesome.

Check out a couple of my favs from this wedding with alot more to come later.

 

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kidSession :: Nathan {sneak}

March 22, 2009 – 9:41 pm

Today I met Nathan and his mom, Amanda, at Callaway Gardens.  Nathan was so much fun to hang out with.  He is such a character.  Here’s a sneak image of the shoot with alot more to come later.

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  1. Amanda   -  

    Hey Matt! We had so much fun at Callaway. I just know the rest of the pictures are going to be awesome! I cant wait to work more with you in the future!! Thanks again!

seniorSession: Avery (Northside)

March 10, 2009 – 12:48 am

Sunday, I had the pleasure of photographing Avery for her seniorSession.  I had a great time with Avery and her mom and aunt.  Avery is gorgeous and even though she may not think so, she’s very good in front of a camera.  We started off at the red wall, hit the riverwalk on the Phenix City side, trekked over to Golden Park, then ended in a downtown alley.  The weather could not have been any better.  Clear skies to start then a few clouds rolled in to give us a bit of shade.  It was wonderful.

I was able to capture a ton of images from Avery’s session and it was so difficult to figure out the ones I wanted to share so I just decided to share a bunch of them.  Check em out and let me know what you think.. :) Love to see them comments.

 

 

By admin | Posted in Seniors | 7 comments         Hide Comments | Add a Comment
  1. Lisette Price   -  

    Matt I love, love, LOVE the one of her laying on the stairs! Wow! Great job on the whole shoot. :)

  2. Pamela Telgenhoff   -  

    Love these and she is soooo beautiful!

  3. Christopher   -  

    Matt, love the 2nd and 3rd shots. Just very cool stuff.

  4. Aaron   -  

    I have to agree with Lisette - the one on the stairs is fantastic! I also love the fun shots in front of the brick wall. Great shoot!

  5. Jamie Burnett   -  

    I LOVE the one on the stairs! She is gorgeous!

  6. Kristina Kessler   -  

    I cannot believe the color, the richness of the photos of Avery in the green shirts. I could not stop staring at them! She is a beautiful girl! You did an amazing job on her photos!!

  7. Sarah   -  

    I agree with the other posters…love the shot of her laying on the red stairs! Beautiful pics!