Matthew Johnston, a retired Army medic, embarked on his photographic journey as a form of art therapy. Leveraging his GI Bill, he earned his BA from Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA, and his MFA in Photography from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, CA. In comparison, many arts are experienced over an extended period of time. Matthew's unique approach to photography, where he aims to encapsulate an entire narrative in fractions of a second, sets him apart as a professional narrative fine art photographer. 

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Matthew's professional affiliations include:

• American Society of Media Photographers

• Professional Photographers of America 

• Photographic Society of America (Worldwide)

• Society of Photographic Education

• Sierra Club

 

 

Matthew has been humbled to be recognized by:

• 2025 Best of the South Sound Nomination

• 2024 Best of the South Sound Nomination

• 2024 Refocus World Photo Annual Finalist- Analog Photography

• 2024 Refocus World Photo Annual Finalist-Fine Art

• 2024 Refocus World Photo Annual Finalist- Portrait 

• 2024 Veterans Affairs Creative Arts Festival, Regional 1st Place, Color Photography

• 2024 Veterans Affairs Creative Arts Festival, Regional 2nd Place, Black and White Photography 

• 2024 Academy of Art University Spring Show Finalist-Photography

• 2024 Academy of Art University Spring Show--Evolution of Photography—Wet-Plate to AI Image Creation- Group Project

• 20224 Vivid Decay-Industrial Ruin-Solo Exhibition-Olympia, WA

• 2023 The Chateau Gallery- Beauty in Decay

• 2023-Budapest International Foto Awards-Honorable Mention

• LenScratch-Your Best of 2023

• 2023 Veterans Affairs Creative Arts Festival Regional 2nd Place Color Photography

• 2023 Veterans Affairs Creative Arts Festival, Regional 2nd Place Black and White Photography

• 2023 Miami Art Week- Art Basel- Aqua Gallery Miami, FL

• 2023 Sienna Awards- Finalist- Sienna, Italy

• 2023 Refocus Awards-World Photo Annual-Finalist-Fine Art

• 2023 Refocus Awards-World Photo Annual-Finalist-Landscape

• 2023 Refocus Awards-World Photo Annual-Finalist-Nature

• 2023 All About Photo-Finalist-Nature-Platinum/Palladium Print

• 2023 The Chateau Gallery-The Narrative-Platinum/Palladium Print

• 2023 American Society of Media Photographers-Photoville New York

• 2023 Academy of Art University Spring Show Finalist

• 2022 Refocus Award Nomination World Black and White Competition

• 2022 LenScratch-Your Best of 2022

• 2022 The Chateau Gallery- "Scapes"-Industrial Ruin

• 2022-Fleet Week San Francisco Veterans Showcase

• 2022 Academy of Art University Spring Show Finalist

• 2021 Academy of Art University Spring Show Finalist