Matt Black's photographs have been noted for their emotional engagement, social conviction, and visual intensity.

Matt grew up in California's Central Valley, a vast agricultural area that is home to some of the poorest communities in the United States. He began taking photographs at a young age and worked as a newspaper photographer while in his teens. He went on to study Latin American and US Labor History at San Francisco State University, where he graduated with honors. After traveling in Mexico, Central and South America, he returned to the Central Valley and devoted his work to exploring the themes of migration, cultural change and social impact of changing rural economies.

Matt's work has received grants and awards from the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Rockefeller Foundation, the California Arts Council, Pictures of the Year International, the California Council for the Humanities, the Alexia Foundation for World Peace, the Sunday Magazine Editors Association, Communication Arts, American Photography, Lightwork, and the Center for Photographic Projects. His work has also been named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, and has received a Golden Eye award from the World Press Photo Foundation.