From Macon to National Geographic, photographer Matt Odom perfects his craft

Macon-born photographer Matt Odom still remembers the email he received from National Geographic that changed the course of his career. 

“I was in New York. I was there for portfolio meetings, and I was walking back to my hotel. I was standing right in front of Madison Square Garden,” he said. “I’m walking, and I check my email, and I saw National Geographic.”

At first, he thought it was fake. He called the photo editor and asked if it was “legit.”

“They said, ‘Yeah, it’s legit,’” Odom said, laughing fondly at the memory.

‘I found it therapeutic’

Odom always knew he wanted to be a photographer, and he got his start at a young age. 

“My mom bought me a cute little Ninja Turtle camera,” he said. “I would just run around and take pictures, and I found it therapeutic, even as a kid. I just took a liking to it. I was never formally trained, I kind of self-taught myself.”

While still a fledgling photographer at Westside High School, Odom was watching the industry shift from film to digital in the early 2000s. He knew keeping up with the trends was important, but digital cameras weren’t exactly affordable, and he was gearing up to go to college. 

He considered attending Morris Brown College, ​​a historically Black Methodist college in Atlanta, but the school was experiencing financial troubles, and he decided to go elsewhere. That turned out, however, to be a blessing in disguise.

“They had a photography program, and if I went, I would have learned everything darkroom when the industry was changing,” Odom said. “It was kind of like, ‘I don’t want to go and waste money, so I’ll stay here,’ and I started off at Middle Georgia State.” 

Odom went to Central Georgia Tech after a year, and eventually made his way to Mercer University’s class of 2011. He didn’t think he’d need them, but he took some business classes that would eventually serve him well in his freelance career.

He landed a job at WPGA-TV in Macon, which taught him how to retouch photos with Photoshop and turn around quality work quickly. Once he got to Mercer, his editing skills set him apart from the competition while he was shooting club parties on the weekends.

Those humble beginnings led to a photography career that’s sent Odom around the world and kept him on his toes. On his website, he says he “always keeps his passport ready” for the next assignment.

Matt’s ‘big break’

On the heels of the 2008 recession, he had been laid off from his job as a child support officer with the state. That’s when he decided he was going to work for himself as a commercial photographer.

He remembers driving past the Macon Magazine office every day, and he finally decided to bite the bullet and “see what happens.” One of the co-owners of the magazine at the time, James Palmer, answered the door.

“I told him who I was, and I gave him a business card,” Odom said. “I guess as soon as I left, he went and looked at my website or whatever. About two hours later, I had an assignment, and I’ve been shooting for them ever since.”

That’s when some big names started asking for Odom’s work: Georgia Trend, Google, and ESPN. In 2017, he had what he calls his “big break” – the National Geographic gig – taking portraits of Bryan Stevenson, the founder and executive director of the Equal Justice
Initiative.

‘You have to stay relevant’

Today, he’s based in Atlanta, and he has no shortage of work. Odom’s previous clients range from news outlets like NPR and the Wall Street Journal to Fortune 500 companies including Dell, Tractor Supply Company and Truist. And, of course, he’s made his footprint across the state of Georgia and Macon with a wide range of agencies and organizations.

In the fall, he’ll be starring in a PBS show, “Colors of Atlanta,” that features some of the best photographers in the city. The series began with “Colors of the Islands,” which was filmed across the Caribbean islands.

It’s not all smooth sailing from here, though. 

“It’s not just about breaking in,” he said. “It’s the longevity. Staying here. Because you have to stay relevant, and I think that’s one of the hardest things that photographers run into.”

How Odom chooses to stay relevant, ironically, is keeping his distance from trends. It’s worked for him “10 times over.”

For instance, he says “desaturated photography” is popular right now, but when speaking with photo editors, he sees that they want a vibrant product. 

“I’m the type of person where if I see everybody going one way, I tend to go another way,” he said. “It’s popular, but it’s not going to last. It doesn’t last.” 

On the road again

One of the aspects of his job that he likes the most is the time on the road.

“People don’t get it,” Odom said. “They say, ‘How do you drive all the time?’ It’s nothing for me to drive six hours of the day.”

But what probably helps pass the time is having his close friend and colleague DSTO Moore around. The two went to high school together, and Moore likes to tell people he went to MOU: Matt Odom University. 

“He showed me a whole new world,” Moore said. Odom introduced him to different areas of photography that he had never considered before, like industrial or agricultural, which has led to learning more about the world around him.

“I never thought I’d be on a shoot somewhere in the middle of a dairy farm looking at cows getting milked by a robot arm,” Moore said. “I’ve learned so much stuff. Like on one of our earlier shoots a couple years ago, I learned how bed sheets are made and how they go from cotton to your bed. They went through a whole process on how to make bedsheets. I got a whole ‘nother respect for this.”

Odom recalled one road trip he took with Moore to Ohio for a week-long shoot.

“It’s easy to work with somebody that you know that you know. It’s the way we’re gonna talk about everything and laugh and joke,” he said. “Going to Ohio, that was a fun drive. The scenery, mountains, sunrises, stopping off in little towns.”

He continues to gain notoriety and respect – as evidenced by his many awards and recognitions – but throughout it all, why he keeps taking photos all comes down to one thing.

“I love it,” Odom said. “It’s fun, I see something new all the time. It gives me a chance to outdo the last photo I did, and it just provides a peace of mind. It’s therapeutic. I like creating.”