Photography by Matthew Ginn: photojournalism, portraiture, and editorial photographyCleveland velodrome
Cyclist Bob Stefancin follows Anneke Frankemolle around the track on a hot evening in May at the Cleveland Velodrome. The only facility of its kind in Ohio, the velodrome opened last summer in Cleveland’s Slavic Village neighborhood. (Photo by Matthew Ginn © 2013)
Most of my work these days is editorial portraiture: pictures of individuals or small groups, generally in their own environment. These are typically commissioned by a magazine or newspaper to illustrate a story about a noteworthy person or the primary source of a story about some other topic. That’s great, I love that kind of work. But what do you do when the subject of the story is out of town?
For a writer, the problem can usually be solved by arranging a telephone interview. For a photographer, that’s when my background in photojournalism comes into play. For a recent story about the new Cleveland Velodrome for Cleveland Business Connects, club president Brett Davis was on an extended business trip from the time I got the assignment until after the deadline. So, instead of photographing Brett, I put together a photo essay of cyclists learning how to race at the track. The readers (and I) don’t know what Brett looks like, but they get a good idea of what it’s like to spend an evening at the track. Unfortunately the magazine only had room for one photo (plus a thumbnail in the table of contents), but you can see the full essay in my velodrome portfolio.
