Just a little #icm fun from my recent #wildflower workshop here in #colorado.

This week on F-Stop Collaborate and Listen: There are photographers who follow the light, and then there’s Nevada Wier, who chases what the eye cannot see. Tune in to this week's episode to learn everything you ever wanted to about IR Photography!

Some moments from Norway, captured in February, 2026.

This week on the F-Stop Collaborate and Listen podcast: Tom Murphy shares his wisdom. Choose a place, commit, and let it change you. Tom Murphy’s story is proof that you don’t have to fly across the world to find something worth photographing.

Repeating patterns, one of my favorite things.

I'm working on some new wildflower photographs I captured this summer here in Colorado, and I'm excited to get them out into the world, but they aren't ready yet. So, enjoy these from past trips and years. <

"Floating Boulders (2026)." A field of boulders scattered across the sky...

Geology is awesome. I love learning about it and leaning into my curiosity about it to make photographs of the natural world, like these. 1. Fleisch rock formations in Spain 2. Selenite crystals in Utah 3. The Black Mountains above Badwater Basin, Death Valley 4. Mount Rainier and glaciers

One of my favorite captures of wildlife - a Skua circles around me on this mountain-top in Antarctica.

Some magic from the Utah badlands - one of my favorite places to spend time with friends and soak in the desert.

Meet this week's F-Stop Collaborate and Listen podcast guest: Tom Murphy, a photographer who chose to live at the edge of Yellowstone for nearly fifty years, all to understand a wild place more deeply.

Still one of my favorite photographs, and it wasn't captured at sunrise or sunset, in fact, it was captured about an hour after sunrise when the light was much more even but still dynamic. Also one of my best selling images!

When Seasons Collide, the Mountains Are My Guide. 1. West Elk Mountains, Colorado (fall to winter) 2. Elk Mountains, Colorado (fall to winter) 3. Patagonia, Chile (fall to winter) 4. North Carolina, Blue Ridge Parkway (winter to spring)

Sandstone doing awesome sandstone things. =)

This week on F-Stop Collaborate and Listen: Scott McCook believes photographers need to truly understand their subject, especially when documenting landscapes marked by industry or change. That kind of intention shapes the images we make and the conversations they start.

An excellent and very thought-provoking post from @mattpaynephoto.bsky.social #Photography substack.com/home/post/p-...

Voice, Validation, and the Lie of the "Right Way" to Photograph

Inspiration from Episode 491 of F-Stop Collaborate and Listen

substack.com

Have you ever wondered what the world looks like when seen from above? Meet Scott McCook, an aerial photographer from Western Australia whose work challenges us to see both the beauty and impact of human presence on the landscape.

I figured since I have nothing better to do with my time (HAHA!), I'd start a Substack. My plan with it is to share my own thoughts on podcast episodes, in the hopes of generating thoughts from others. open.substack.com/pub/mattpayn...

This week on the F-Stop Collaborate and Listen Podcast: Ever noticed your photography shifting as your life changes? Reflecting on Rick Bebbington’s journey makes me look at my own photos in a new light.

Meet Rick Bebbington. When Rick joined me on the podcast, we explored not only what holds photographers back but why it’s often about much more than the camera itself. Tune into the F-Stop Collaborate and Listen Podcast to hear about his journey. One of my favorite episodes I've recorded.

This week on F-Stop: Discover Garrett Hess' journey into art and photography! Learn how consuming creative works passively builds composition fundamentals, leading to a deeper understanding of what makes a photo truly shine. It's about finding purpose and expressing yourself through the lens.

This week on F-Stop, we're exploring the power of going deeper, not wider. Discover the advantages of focusing locally for more sustainable and engaging photography.

Here are four wildly different scenes all captured in Western Australia (W.A.). These are part of my project which aims to document abstraction and tie it to a variety of concepts impacting place in W.A. Interested in seeing or learning more? Shoot me over a message.

Here are a few glimpses into the world of Garrett Hess, this week’s guest on F-Stop Collaborate and Listen. Garrett has built his life and practice around Erie, Pennsylvania, photographing the Great Lakes and the ever-changing moods just outside his door.

What would your photography look like if you had to press pause on the endless scroll? This week’s conversation on F-Stop Collaborate and Listen features Ben Maze and Murray Livingston - two photographers who remind me what it means to dig deeper.

This week on F-Stop Collaborate and Listen: When you’re always the new kid or stationed far from home, you learn to look at things from many points of view. Nichole Vild’s story reminded me how photography can be an ally in that way: encouraging us to pause.

I recently led a super fun workshop out at White Pocket in the Vermillion Cliffs National Monument - for sure one of my favorite places to photograph in the SW. I revisited some old favorites and showed our awesome students how to capture some sweet night sky images.

"The Arrival (2026)" Look up. They are coming. Do they have good intentions? These forms drifting across a crimson and blue sky don't have a satisfying earthly explanation. Your brain cycles through clouds, jellyfish, leaves, perhaps alien life?

I believe some guests on my podcast offer a lived wisdom that only experience and vulnerability can teach. Nichole Vild is one of those people. Her years moving across continents as an Army officer, then choosing to start over as an artist, brought a perspective I felt we all needed.

This week on F-Stop: Sometimes life asks us to reinvent not only what we do, but who we are. This week, I spent time with Nichole Vild, a photographer, Army veteran, and someone who has learned to embrace change on both the inside and out. We also discuss the exciting and emerging topic of Neuroarts