Matt Black

Matt Black is a serious storyteller. Serious in the sense that he takes the time to delve deep into stories; serious in his dedicated approach to research; and serious in that he’s not afraid to tackle difficult subjects, although he does so with an acute empathy that is rare, even in the worthy world of photojournalism. All of this seems to stem from his roots – where he came from and how it has profoundly affected his outlook on life and his approach to documentary photography.

Black comes from an area of California far away from the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, showbiz and multi-million dollar mansions. The Central Valley, a 450-mile-long valley that dominates the central part of the state, is an area that’s often overlooked but is known for being agricultural, producing over half of the fruit, nuts and vegetables grown in the USA. Despite that, it’s not an area of wealth and great working conditions – it’s known to have badly paid workers, poor health and groundwater pollution, amongst other negative socio-economic factors.

Black began what became his project in the Central Valley in 2014 but, since 2015, he has travelled over 100,000 miles across 46 states to document life in key areas of poverty. The photographic results A Reckoning With A Dream. Black’s black-and-white pictures in the book are stark, hauntingly beautiful and unforgettable – they sear impressions of the reality of poverty in the US on your eyes and in your mind. To find out more, persuaded Matt Black to take time out of his shooting schedule to talk to us. Here’s how the conversation went…