Rosie Matheson, a photographer, specializes in taking portraits, capturing her subjects’ stories in a single photograph. One of her projects, Boys, captures many young men from around the world, showing the evolving relationship between men and masculinity. With her work shining a light on important societal messages, it demonstrates the effect that art has on the world around us.

How did you get into photography, and, specifically, capturing portraits?
I actually have been taking photos since I was a child. it’s always been a form of communication and connection. For me it was always a tool that meant I could find a place in different crowds. Such as at my parents’ party full of older people, having the camera and shooting them all throughout the night have me a role in the situation. I got into shooting portraits specifically when I was a teenager 16-17. I was pretty shy but with a camera in my hand I felt this power and confidence that didn’t exist without. It was a fun challenge to approach people and make them feel comfortable having their photo taken (when it was I who was the uncomfortable one really, ha-ha).

Have you always been in love with photography? When was the moment that you fell in love with the medium?
I was definitely in love with photography from the time I first discovered it. I remember always asking my parents to get the bag of photos out of the cupboard and to go through them and tell the stories from each scene. Also shooting on a 35mm camera and taking the film to be developed and going back in days to collect the photos. It was always a magical feeling and it still is.

Are there any photographers that inspire/influence your own work?
My favorite photographers are Zed Nelson, Dana Lixenberg, Richard Avedon, and Pieter Hugo.

What is your art process and what goes into taking a portrait?
First of all, it’s that feeling inside of inspiration, excitement, intrigue that I know I want to photograph that person out of everyone. Then it’s about conversation when I meet them (whether it’s three or thirty minutes), I need to soak in as much of who they are, how they talk, how they move their body in this time. It’s all about observing and listening for me in this time and then it’s about deciding how and where I will shoot them. Where the light hits best. The essential part for me is the connection through conversation, noticing any details, perhaps an expression or a way they stand and then using whatever stands out to me to focus on when making a portrait.

What makes photography special as an artform?
Photography is a tool for education, sparking conversation and marking a moment in history. Photographs make people think and feel.

What do you look for when finding a subject to photograph?
It’s hard to put into words because it’s something I just know as soon as I see someone. It’s a sparkle in the eye, the way the hair curls, the style. There’s just something about them I can’t ignore and I have to take their photograph.

How do you capture your subjects in a way that tells their story?
It’s about making people feel comfortable enough to really relax and confidently show who they are when they are exposed in front of the lens. I think keeping the situation quite lighthearted and conversation heavy is essential. I never want my subject to feel pressured during the experience. The more open you can get someone the more that’s revealed through the eyes and the way the hand touched the face. It’s all the small details that paint the bigger overall picture.

How do you incorporate yourself and your art style in your photographs without disrupting the subject’s story?
Shooting in locations on the streets with similar use of natural lighting so that the aesthetic of the images all aligns tonally and shooting on the same style of lenses to keep it consistent. However, things are always different for every person. Some images may feel more daring while others are more sensitive and intimate depending on the day and subject. I think there’s a part of me in every photo, whether recognizable or not, due to the connection made with the subject and I guess the way I have captured them is exactly how I see them. It’s my understanding of them.

Do you have a favorite project that you’ve worked on?
Definitely my Boys series and short film. I’m really trying to make another one soon. Honestly, the down time of Covid threw me off a little and I lost a lot of motivation I had at the time but the project is something I really care about and want to continue. It’s definitely not peaked yet and there’s so much more to give with it. I also loved a project I shot in 2017 for Kiosk Magazine. It was my first time shooting something in Los Angeles and me casted all the subjects on Instagram before we went on the trip. My friend Holly Macdonald styled them all and we shot them in their neighborhoods or at home, wherever they felt represented them. It’s one of my favorite projects to date and some work I’m really proud of.

How has your work evolved throughout the years?
There is more intention behind every photograph now. When composing an image, I think about a lot of different things: the balance of the image, what fills the frame and how is that the story whereas when I began I was freer and more experimental. There was no intention other than just trying to take nice photographs.

What do your photographs mean to you and what do you want them to mean to others?
For me they are almost a diary of my life experiences, the people I have met, the places I have been and how all of our stories connect together as one as humans, no matter who or where there’s always a form of connection. I think of the images as a moment in history documenting how the world and people look right now. I’m obsessed with looking back at various times and the subcultures and styles that existed. Times are different now; subcultures aren’t what they used to be and I think it’s an interesting time to document. For other people, I want them to find a connection or themselves in the subjects or images. A place for everyone to be themselves and accepted.

Do you have any dreams or goals that you hope to accomplish this year?
Oh definitely, so, so, so, so many.

Other than photography, what are your other interests?
Film making, travel, trying to motivate myself to cook more and learn new recipes, getting at least 10,000 steps a day walking around the neighborhood and watching the world pass by like a movie.

Are there any projects that you are currently working on or want to work on?
I’m currently planning and working on another Boys film and hopefully bringing the magazine back even better than before.

Social Media.
Instagram: @rosie_matheson

Interview by Summer Safi, Contributor, PhotoBook Magazine
Tearsheets by Mia Fyson, Graphic Design Intern, PhotoBook Magazine
RADAR Created by Ayoka Lucas
*All photos are shot by Rosie Matheson

RADAR: Rosie Matheson