Meet Matt Langford | Photographer & Tarot reader

We had the good fortune of connecting with Matt Langford and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Matt, what are you inspired by?
For me, It all started with 90s modeling and catalogues. I always loved looking at magazines and fashion shows when I was younger. I would always be in awe of the models and how they were able to pose with gorgeous clothing that portrayed a certain aesthetic and feeling.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am a fashion photographer/ retoucher and I do tarot readings on the side. I think what sets me apart is the fact that I like to truly capture the essence of my models. I don’t like to dress them up but I rather have them express themselves authentically without judgement. Im proud of giving people a safe space to be free creatively and let their freak flag fly. I feel like when I was growing up I never had that because of the fact that I was gay and had to hide so many parts of myself from my family and friends and was never given the safe space to be myself and live authentically. To start doing these shoots it was hard because for one I had bad social anxiety and I didn’t know a lot of models or anyone connected to the fashion industry. School really helped push me out of my comfort zone by implementing projects and homework that involved me seeking out individuals willing to model for me. Luckily through my social anxiety I met a few people in other classes who were willing to model for me and luckily enough they looked like actual models. I think once more people saw what I was capable of since I was a really quiet and shy they were more willing to shoot with me and I was able to make more friends that too along with a little modeling myself too. Through all of this I learned that you really need to push yourself no matter how hard or how fearful it seems towards your dreams because once I did my first shoot I was thinking what was I so afraid of? Yes you make mistakes along the way but you learn from those mistakes, move on and improve.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Since I reside in the beach cities we would first start out by going to the beach probably Hermosa or Manhattan and hit up my favorite Mexican restaurant El Burrito Jr. and then later that night go out to the bars like Sharkeez. The next day we would probably go hiking in Malibu to sweat out all our bad choices of yesterday and spill tea while enjoying the beautiful view. Afterwards we can get smoothies and go out later that night to an expensive restaurant like BOA, Mastro’s, or Nobu. Maybe hit Six Flags for a day then for the final day we can go to breakfast at Marmalade then book it down to DTLA to visit the Last Bookstore, get ice cream at Little Damage, hit the Griffith observatory, and end the day at a nice restaurant in DTLA.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Theres a few people I would love to shout them out first being Amira Toadvine. She was one of the first models in LA to help me out by doing photoshoots/ class projects from Long Beach to DTLA. Next being Mikaela Zaragoza (Matrix Mika), they helped me immensely by helping me do my Bachelor or Fine Arts final project and allowed me to have a safe space for my creative endeavors. They also connected me with many other creatives in Los Angeles including a modeling agency called Onyxunity to boost my career and clientele. Last but not least I would like to shoutout Alyssia Strasser, she reached out to do a photoshoot with her art and products which was also a huge help.

Website: www.mjhlangford.com

Instagram: @Coastonblu

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mjhlangford

Other: TikTok: Blkdaiiisy