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Give Original Matt Payne Travel Photography for Christmas!
Through December 15th, I’m offering signed prints of a handful of my favorites from across Oklahoma and the world! If there are other images on my sight that you are interested in, please let me know. Small (5×7)- $50 Medium (8×10) – $95 Large (12×18) – $150 For larger sizes and other inquires, please let […]
Matt Payne Wins Special Recognition for SATW’s 2018 Bill Muster Photography Awards in Two Categories
Great news! Last week, I was fortunate to win two special recognition awards in the Bill Muster Photography Awards at The Society of American Travel Writers convention held in Barbados. I’ve got to pinch myself when I look at the other talented folks who took home prizes. Photography came into my life a couple of […]
2018 Vivid Sydney PHOTO GALLERY: A journey through one of the world’s greatest light shows
Each May, Sydney, which is already one of the world’s most colorful, dynamic and innovative cities, steps it up a notch with Vivid Sydney. Over the course of two weeks, everything from the sails of the Sydney Opera House to the fronts of some of the city’s most influential buildings literally get electrified. The Botanical […]
Newcomers Guide to OKC: 30 Things to do in Action City for 405 Magazine
If you live in Oklahoma, you’ve heard of Cattlemen’s. The Stockyard City staple’s prime cuts have long been a draw for visitors and locals alike. Folks come for the nostalgia as much as the steak and a visit to Cattlemen’s is hardly complete without some nervous soul gingerly taking a bite of, then being pleasantly […]
Main Streets Oklahoma: how the heartbeat is returning to some of Oklahoma’s most historic downtowns
I spent two months visiting main streets across Oklahoma and was delighted to discover how young entrepreneurs and artists are returning home to open businesses, which is sparking innovative fires across the state! Check the story out here. Also extremely excited to have my photograph appear on the cover of a magazine! Check out the […]
From The Manual Travel: Aspen Autumn’s Golden Leaves and Good Food
The leaves across the country are starting to change. Two weeks ago, we managed to get high up into the Colorado mountains where the Aspens were beginning to turn to gold. There are also some great spots to grab a beer and a bite to eat afterwards! Check out this piece for themanual.com to find […]
Star Gazing in Black Mesa State Park and Preserve: Oklahoma’s Darkest Skies
Sometimes the best way to wrap your brain around how vast the universe is, is to go someplace where there is little else. Here is my write up about stargazing at Black Mesa State Park for 405 Magazine.
Three Days with the Kuna Yala in Panama’s San Blas Islands
Three Kuna women waited for the plane in the rudimentary airport as I arrived to Playon Chico, a small indigenous village in Panama’s San Blas Islands. Each woman was dressed traditionally with a gold ring through their septum and dawning a bright red headscarf, colorful blouse and an explosion of colorful beads on their wrists […]
Wild Icons OK: Conservation Stories Rhinos
I got to produce a series of ten mini documentaries highlighting endangered species and conservation efforts in Oklahoma and worldwide at the Oklahoma City Zoo for OETA, our local PBS affiliate. It was an incredible learning experience getting to interview the talented and passionate individuals who have dedicated their lives to conservation and these beautiful […]
RARE: a look at endangered wildlife at the Oklahoma City Zoo
For years, I felt like I had my foot in two boats. On one hand, I’d find myself in Los Angeles working on incredible television shows with great writers where I made lifelong friends. When I was blessed with the opportunity to start travel writing, even though I had no experience doing that type of […]
Fitness in OKC: A on note from the author on the dangers of eating too many cheeseburgers
A true telling of what happens when you eat like an utter slob for a year and then see a picture of yourself on Christmas morning and have a mini breakdown because you are shaped like an egg, you’re buying new pants at Target because your good pants don’t fit and get exhausted tying your shoes…
An Adventure to The Galapagos with International Expeditions
I got to spend two weeks in March as well as my 39th birthday in the Galapagos Islands with International Expeditions. Experiencing the wildlife and sparse volcanic terrain of the Galapagos offers a glimpse as to what the world might be like if humans had never set foot on it. Birds, equal parts enormous and awkward […]