New portrait studio opens this weekend

• Mat and Suzie Green are opening a new photo studio this weekend
• Green Photo Portrait and Event Photography is at 406 S. Second St.
• Mat is self taught and has worked as a pro photographer since 2010
• The studio offers photography for weddings, babies, high school seniors and more.

COSHOCTON – A hobby turned obsession has become a career for Mat Green, of Warsaw.

While he knows anyone can enter the world of photography with a digital camera and a home printer, he says capturing special life moments with a professional’s eye can enhance and save those moments even better.

He and his wife, Suzie, are hosting a grand opening this weekend for Green Photo Portrait and Event Photography on South Second Street across from the Downtowner Plaza. Along with in-studio sessions, the couple also offers location shoots.

Green said many studios specialize in certain niches, but their studio wants to run the gamut from babies to senior photos to weddings to anniversaries and more. The Greens have been doing location photography, for weddings and such, since about 2010 and they felt it was time to have a home base.

“This is what I’ve ultimately wanted,” Green said of opening the studio. “I want to be general purpose and offer services to a broader range of people.”

Green is a self-taught photographer who has taken the steps to educate himself through books and online study to understand what it takes to the get the right photo, from use of light to properly setting up equipment. He cites celebrity portrait photographer Annie Leibovitz as a major inspiration.

“So many people get themselves a fancy camera and call themselves a photographer,” said the veteran of more than 20 years of shooting. “To be a good photographer and get the kind of photos people really want, you need to know what you’re doing. You have to understand light. There’s so much more to know.”

More than technical expertise, a photographer has to be able to work with people. Green talks with clients to figure out what they want and how he can achieve it. If they’re unsure of what they want, he offers a guiding hand through his experience of knowing what works and what doesn’t.

For example, with weddings, Green said some people like the photographer to be out of the way and unobtrusive, while others want him right in the middle of the action. Some like candid shots, others poised and posed. It’s all about finding the right blend and style.

“To make people happy, you have to fulfill their needs. Everyone has a different need,” he said. “But always quality. Quality always has to be there.”

llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com

740-295-3417

Twitter: @llhayhurst

If you go

Green Photo Portrait and Event Photography is hosting a grand opening Friday and Saturday at its new location, 406 S. Second St.

For the grand opening, the business will offer free Facebook profile photos, $10 8-by-10 portraits without a session fee, a raffle for a one-hour session and half price on miniature and full sessions.

The studio is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays to Fridays and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays with other sessions available by appointment. The studio takes walk-ins and does location shoots.

For more information, call 330-805-0308 or go to greenevent.photography.