Photographer Matt Solie is still figuring things out. And that’s a good thing.

Image source: Matt Solie.

As success stories of creatives go, Matt Solie‘s is picture perfect. Since taking up photography at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, he has quickly built a reputation for capturing the beauty of everyday life from behind his DSLR camera and gained a loyal following of millions. Solie has also become a trusted resource for aspiring photographers who want to learn the ins and outs of photo editing using Adobe Lightroom, and was handpicked as one of 10 Adobe Lightroom Ambassadors for 2024.

Not bad for a four-year career arc, especially when you consider that Matt is 18 years-old and just finished his first year at Langara College in Vancouver, British Columbia. And while many artists would let this success go to their heads, Solie is refreshingly candid about how much he has yet to learn about photography and the new technologies transforming the field, including Adobe Firefly, Adobe’s family of generative AI capabilities.

“It’s tough to make it as an influencer, which is why so many creatives act like they know everything about their art to gain followers, but mistakes are part of the process too,” says Solie. “I’m an 18-year-old who tries something new every day and makes stupid decisions in the process, and I think it’s important for my audience to share those experiences with me.”

Putting presets on the map

Solie’s love of photography is matched only by his love of sharing his art with the world. When one of his early photos blew up, a gorgeous play on light called “Shades of the Evening,” he released an Instagram tutorial revealing how he created the piece with the help of Lightroom presets. More reels followed, and before long Solie’s preset tutorials became a weekly reference for millions of people looking to hone their photo editing skills.

The success of Solie’s educational content has also inspired him to explore new creative outlets, including travel photography and short films. Empowered by this creative freedom and determined to connect with his audience in new ways, Solie has now deferred his college studies to pursue his passions full-time.

“I got into photography during the COVID-19 pandemic because I wanted to make things look beautiful when it wasn’t the most beautiful time,” says Solie. “The fact that I now get to share something I love with millions of people is amazing and I feel privileged to be in this position.”

Finding beauty everywhere with Adobe Firefly

While many photographers gravitate towards a particular style, like landscapes or street art, Solie’s vision is more wide-eyed. “My guiding principle is to uncover beauty in every setting and situation imaginable,” he says.

To achieve that, one of Solie’s signature styles involves placing a subject at the center of a compelling scene, like a sunny street corner or dramatic beach, and removing all other distractions from the frame for maximum impact. But the window to capture these moments of solitude in today’s crowded world is fleeting.

That’s where Adobe Firefly comes in. Using the new Generative Remove capability in Lightroom that’s powered by Firefly, Solie can easily remove unwanted elements from his photos to turn the concepts in his mind into a reality. Take the images below. Using Generative Remove, Solie was able to edit an everyday beach scene with several people (left) into a serene shot that gives viewers a powerful sense of peace and tranquility (right).

Creating a sense of solitude with Generative Remove; images source: Matt Solie.

“I want people to feel what I felt when shooting my images, but it’s hard to get that vision across without using models and staging scenes, which feels forced and doesn’t hit as hard,” says Solie. “With Generative Remove, I can make adjustments to my images after the fact and tell the story I want to tell in a way that feels natural.”

Solie is also experimenting with generative AI in Adobe Photoshop as a storyboarding tool. By inputting rough image ideas into Firefly via text prompt, he can get instant visual inspiration to help shape where the concept should go next. “Generative AI is a major technological achievement that’s going to transform the way photographers and filmmakers work. It’s been so cool playing with Firefly in these early days, I’m just scratching the surface,” says Solie.

Creative freedom with zero compromise

Solie understands that some photographers are still on the fence about AI and its potential impact on their field. And while he admits that nobody can predict the future, he believes resources like Adobe Firefly have given him more power than ever to control his creative output.

“There are so many enhancements I can make to my images with generative AI that I couldn’t do before, like replacing elements of sky or cleaning up shots to give viewers a sense of solitude,” says Solie. “It has empowered me to create my own image in my own vision, without compromise.”

For Solie, the ability to maintain a unique creative perspective will be increasingly important as technology lowers the barrier to entry for creative fields. “We’re past the age where a handful of photographers would make a name for themselves with publications like National Geographic,” he says. “Everyone now has a camera in their pocket, so to set yourself apart you need to have personality and make your point of view shine through.”

As for the future of generative AI in photography, Solie’s experience with Adobe Firefly has made him an optimist. “There’s no doubt AI will change the way artists conceive, edit, and share their art with audiences, and we will all have to evolve, but having seen what Firefly can do, I’m less scared by these changes than I am excited by the possibilities ahead,” he says.

For more on Matt Solie and his art, check out his Instagram profile.

Ready to see for yourself how Adobe Firefly is transforming creativity? Update your Lightroom app to the latest version to try Generative Remove, available starting today, or download the Lightroom mobile app to get started for free.