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I fell into photography by accident. Things started back in 2014 as a junior in high school and one day I woke up and decided to launch a fashion blog. I started taking photos and videos of my friends and their outfits and posting it on social media. Heading into college, I landed both an athletic scholarship for swimming and a scholarship for a female athlete in business. That business changed over time. It used to be my fashion blog, and slowly transitioned into being what you see now. By starting out in front of the camera, I quickly figured out how to pose other people in flattering ways and fell more in love with helping others see themselves in a new light.
PHOTOGRAPHER
mattea (muh-tay-uh)
press & collaborations
I was adopted from South Korea when I was 4 months old and grew up in Colorado.
18 years later, I flew back to South Korea to find my birth mother (middle picture). I had her write my birth name in her handwriting and got it tattooed on my foot. My first ever tat!
When I started my career, I was a fashion blogger/content creator circa 2014-2019 and one crazy gig I had was walking for Karlie Kloss x EXPRESS (I still have the clothes! ;)
After I graduated college, I worked a corporate job for 6 months before quitting and going to Europe on a whim for a few weeks after with no backup plan (thus the beginning of my full-time creator journey).
I went to Madagascar pro bono for a month on a photo journalism trip to support Thinking Huts - an organization 3D printing schools in Madagascar.
When I was in elementary school, I modeled the "A" for the YMCA sculpture (I grew up swimming with the sculptor's kids).
I met Dikembe Mutombo twice, exactly 10 years apart by chance - the first time in Democratic Republic of the Congo (my uncle was the ambassador at the time...we actually met Hilary Clinton on that trip too since she was visiting my uncle,) and the second time when I was at the NBA All Star Game in Chicago as a creator for Budweiser.
I definitely live by the whole 'life is fleeting, make the most of it...' saying :)
more about mattea...
favorite movie:
ford vs. ferrari
favorite place in the world:
estes park, co
the camera i use is:
Canon R5
favorite super hero:
Spiderman (Tom Holland, obvi)
i can't live without:
my fam and friends!
ultimate fear:
Snakes and Sharks
biggest pet peeve:
ppl that are rude to servers
favorite cuisine:
Korean BBQ or Ethiopian
i'll never forget:
meeting my birth mother
Hidden talent:
drawing & painting
view the galleries
the experience
you prefer candid photos with slight help posing.
you're open to trying things out of your comfort zone to bring a concept to life.
you 're open to giving up the thought that a photo is supposed to look a 'certain way' and are willing to explore various ways to bring a concept to life.
