Iconic Photographer Creates Custom Matthews Flight Kit

Posted by Valerie Taylor on

Visual artist Jeremy Saffer is liv’in his dream. His images have set the visual style for some of the hottest metal bands of all time, donning album covers, posters, music videos, coffee table books, and fine art. Not your everyday photographer, he spends 90% of his life on location and the other 10% in western Massachusetts where musicians often seek him out so he can weave his photography with his macabre magic to create iconic portraits.

Formal art school training never prepared Jeremy for the practicalities of his chosen career. That he learned on the road. His current camera of choice is the Canon 1DX. For lighting he chooses Dynalight flash. “I didn’t learn a lot about stands or flags— I just figured it out and did my own thing.” Most of the popular stands and risers he used didn’t live up to the rigors of his shoots and travel.

He started working with Matthews’ gear about a year and a half ago. For east coast photo shoots he got a 40" C+Riser, a Mini Boom, and a Runway base. “When you compare Matthews gear to the others, the quality is unparalleled. You set it up and it stays were you want it—it doesn’t move. It is the best you can get, regardless of price. Even the inexpensive Matthews gear is better than other brands’ expensive gear.”

The setup works for him when he’s local, but the three items exceed the 50-pound weight limit when he flies. So while in LA conducting one of his popular Music Photography workshops in February, he visited Matthews, along with a bevy of budding photographers.

Saffer was determined to compose a fly kit in time for a top-secret shoot for the cover of Metal Hammer the following month. With the help of Martin Torner they came up with the Hollywood Baby Jr. Double Riser Stand with casters, two medium duty black Maxi Stands and the 45”-80” Mini Boom. He found a nice golf bag roller case online, added a few pool noodles, (a trick he learned from Martin), and it was a slick fit. It weighed in at 49.7 pounds-saving him $150, every flight. And best of all—the slick new kit was together in time for his iconic portrait of Megadeth’s legendary Dave Mustaine.

To see his sought after images visit: JeremySaffer.com

 

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