Meet Christina Matacotta | Photographer/photojournalist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Christina Matacotta and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Christina, other than deciding to work for yourself, what was the single most important decision you made that contributed to your success?
The single most important decision I’ve made in my career thus far is to commit myself to photography full-time. There was a time when work was extremely slow, and I was actively searching for a more stable source of income; however, I never felt called to anything else, and the few leads I pursued did not pan out. I decided then that instead of using my time and energy to search for a more traditional 9-5, I should use it to promote myself, grow my network, and continue to make art. Sure enough, the work came, and I continue to spend my working hours doing what I love.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
As a photographer, what sets me apart is my deep passion for people and how they connect with one another. Great images have the ability to imbue these connections, not only by giving faces to important issues but also by revealing how similar those faces are to our own. My goal as a photographer is to create photos that record a moment in time, evoke emotion, and, most importantly, inspire empathy.

I’ve had a lot of up and downs in my career as a freelance photographer and photojournalist, but I’ve found that “finding success” is about having a clear, and completely personal definition of what success means to you so that you can formulate specific goals and work toward them. For me, I define success as being able to support myself and a lifestyle that includes several months of international travel a year. I’ve achieved this through a combination of working hard to self-promote and grow my network of clients domestically and being willing to do untraditional freelance photo work while traveling internationally. Listen–I’m not getting rich this way, but I can support the life that I want, and if choosing between monetary wealth and a wealth of experiences, I’d choose the latter any day.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I truly love Atlanta, but would definitely consider it a place that one needs to know to have a good time.

Here’s an itinerary I’d use if hosting a friend for a week in the city:

Day 1
– Pick them up from the airport in the morning and head straight to Waffle House. Order up a pair of All-Star specials and walk them through their options. I go for 2 eggs over easy, hash browns smothered, peppered, and extra crispy, bacon, also extra crispy, a pecan waffle, a cup of coffee and water. It comes with white toast I never get to, but hold onto the uneaten slices to give to a member of the unsheltered community y’all will inevitably run into.
-Pass by Aurora Coffee in Little 5 Points to get a cup of coffee and grounds to take home, they brew the best in the city in my opinion.
-Skip lunch for a nap to sleep off your food coma.
-Hang out or practice rollerblading in Grant Park. Peak at the giraffes and other zoo animals you can see from the vista.
-Early dinner late lunch at prison tacos, right across from the Federal prison, the carniceria sells the best tacos in the city. If they have goat, go for it!!!
-Righteous Room to catch up at a local dive bar with chill vibes and cheap beer. Music choice is sometime questionable so outdoor seating is the move.

Day 2
-Get a bagel to go from emerald city bagels and enjoy it with a cup of coffee at Joe’s Coffeehouse in EAV. My favorite place to read or do work in the city. Bring your journal and hang out for a while.
-Walk and shop around EAV.
-Get Pub Sub and sweet tea at Publix to eat at home.
-Chill and get ready for your evening.
-Get Beers at 3 Ravens Brewery to Pregame.
-Go to see a concert at the Eastern.
-JR Crickets for wings after (lemon pepper hot, swimming).

Day 3
-Experience Bab’s for Breakfast.
-Go to the High Museum of Art, the permanent collection is stacked and the exhibitions are generally quite good.
-Go crazy picking up snacks and drinks at the midtown Trader Joes and then walk to Piedmont park. Spend the rest of the day there picnicking with the rest of Atlanta.
-Go out in Edgewood: Church Bar to start the night with some cheap beers and a game of ping pong, then Noni’s for a cocktail and to dance your ass off to some home-spun house music.
-Brave the 2-hour drive-through line and late night at Cook Out. Don’t skip the milkshake.

Day 4-
-Eat a light breakfast at Ponce City Market Shop, walk around.
-Walk/bird/bike the Beltline
-Get beers and sandwiches at Victory Sandwich Bar and then walk along the belt line again to digest
-Take a Nap at home
-Watch the sunset over the city at Oakland Cemetery.
-Nuevo Laredo for the best carne asada tacos and salsa in the city. Yes, the wait is long as hell, but if you order up margs and chips and salsa the time passes quickly.

Day 5
-Drive to the suburbs (Marietta/Smyrna) in the morning to get breakfast and split a piece of cake at the Marietta Diner.
-Go shopping around the local second-hand stores, especially the Goodwill near the big chicken.
-Take obligatory photo of/with the Big Chicken.
-Get the lunch special at Minato, the best sushi in Atlanta/Georgia/USA. Sit at the sushi bar for free snacks.
-$7 Tuesdays at Midtown Art Cinema, watch a movie and discuss it over a glass of wine after at Apres Diem, the French Cafe next door.
-Get fried chicken fingers from Kroger next door to take home and eat.

Day 6
-Shop at Atlanta Dairies Vintage Clothing Market.
-Walk to Grindhouse Burgers for lunch.
-Take a nap.
-Antico’s Pizza for dinner and to pregame with beers.
-Go out in EAV, I generally bop between Mary’s and Banshee depending on who is spinning.

Day 7
-Go to Scott’s Antique market (in town once a month so check dates).
-Go to Dekalb farmers market to shop around for some exotic fruit.
-Get meat and 3 lunch at eats and take it home to eat it on the porch with a sweet tea like a local.
-People watch from your porch until the sun goes down.
-Dress Swanky and take dinner at the Optimist- the only fancy restaurant I’d recommend in the city, and truly worth the price and hype. Look for famous people, they eat there often.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I have to give a shoutout to the editorial team at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for giving me my start as a photojournalist. I would not be half the photographer I am today without the growth I experienced on staff as an intern and as a frequent freelancer since.

Also, one of my best friends and constant collaborator, Ty Jones, a freelance creative director in Atlanta and project manager for Warner Media is a continuous source of encouragement and artistic inspiration in my life. As a creative, I find it invaluable to have relationships with other artists with whom you can collaborate.

Website: christinamatacotta.com

Instagram: @matacotta__

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/crmatacotta/

Image Credits
Christina Matacotta