Today we’d like to introduce you to Matthew Mahlstedt.
Hi Matthew, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Well, that story begins with my sister getting a border collie puppy. She realized it needed a lot of stimulation and physical activity, so the two of them started trying various dog sports until they found their game, which turned out to be Dock Diving.
At the same time, I was trying to rework my photography business, as my primary client was facing some trouble of their own, and they drastically lowered the volume of photography they needed. Once my sister heard I was looking for more work, she suggested I could photograph a Dock Diving event.
Fast forward a bit to my sister getting another puppy, but this one didn’t take to Dock Diving. He is, however, great at Barn Hunts. And now you’re all caught up on how my 2026 became booked with dog sport events.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Oh, not at all. There are constant bumps along the way. And it goes between things you’d expect, like trying to keep costs low to customers, while the costs I’m paying rise to things you wouldn’t expect, like switching from photographer to scuba diver in the middle of an event to patch a pool.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Dog Sports Photography. Scent work and Dock Diving are the games I have the most experience with. I’m the regular photographer for Barn Hunts at Branchwater Farms in Reisterstown, MD, and one of two at Carousel Diving Dogs in Mt Airy, MD. And while it’s not the thing I’m the most proud of, my background of being trained & certified by the Maryland Photography Alliance to be a competition judge has greatly contributed to my work standing out in the genre.
Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
The complete freedom I had in the mornings, due to Dad and sister being out of the house for work and school, and Mom being dead to the world from working night shift at a warehouse. I know my strong independence, which has led to me being self-employed, came from that period of my life.
Pricing:
- I’m starting new event photo packages this year due to how busy I’ve become. I’m going for simplicity and flexibility as some have many dogs the are very experiance while other have one dog that’s just getting started.
- 15 photos for $15
- 30 photos for $30
- 60 photos for $60
Contact Info:
- Website: https://thatbaltimorephotographer.com/index.html
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatbaltimorephotographer/
- Facebook: https://www.instagram.com/thatbaltimorephotographer/
- Other: https://www.balteemoreapparel.com/
