Rising Stars: Meet Matthew Finley

Today we’d like to introduce you to Matthew Finley.

Hi Matthew, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and spent my first six or so years there, then my mother and I moved around for a few years before we landed in Glendale, California. I have always been drawn to the arts. I pursued acting out of college, did a few plays around town and some very independent films but after many years walking that difficult path, I decided it was no longer bringing me joy. I gave photography a try and found that the move behind the camera made a huge difference for me. I felt more comfortable and in control of the stories I wanted to tell and proceeded to work to find my voice. I’ve spent the last twelve years learning and working in mainly fine art photography. It’s a medium with so many options and variations to use to express yourself. From film to digital and alternative process, I love that there is always something else I can try, learn, and use to tell a story.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Being a shy introvert and then coming out in my early 20’s, I’ve always felt like an outsider. The arts have been a vehicle for me to connect with others in my own way. Acting gave me words and permission to try to connect with the other actors and not feel like they would shun me for it, it was part of the job. With photography, I try to tell personal stories about being gay in a way that I hope anyone can see parts of themselves in. Whether the photo series is about being true to who you really are and the struggles and joys that come with it, or the love and tenderness that can be created in a loving relationship, I hope most people can identify with them and walk away with a deeper understanding that we are all the same. That our fears and desires are universal. After my struggles with self-acceptance, I have learned that it’s all about connecting to others and my art gives me a tool to do that.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
For me, art is a constant learning process. From project to project, I learn things about myself, others and the medium of photography. I was starting a photo series a few years back that I called “This Too Shall Pass” about my family and the struggle of coming out to them. I decided to use a Polaroid camera, as it fit the time period of my childhood, and a special edition round frame film, perfect for “looking back”. Having never seriously worked with a Polaroid camera before, I was challenged with learning how it worked, how I could use its strengths and weaknesses to my advantage and how to capture the story in the way I envisioned. In addition, it was a challenge to express something as ephemeral as an emotion and how to direct the person who plays ‘me’ in the series to embody it. Starting a new project like that is always scary, stressful, and exciting and I’m always coming away with having learned a lot. Influenced by classic paintings and sculpture, my work often tells stories through the use of the male form, mostly in studio where I feel I can have the most control. At this point, I have been lucky enough to have had my work shown in galleries across the U.S., collected by museums and featured online and in publications.

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
I will pass on some of the best advice I received when I was just starting, “Do what excites you at your core.” For me, that was telling my story with the male form. For others, that could be anything from flower still life to street photography — just make sure it excites you deeply. That you are not choosing it to please anyone else or because you feel you “should” do that type of work, but because there is passion there. Because it will take time: time to find your style, time to find your audience, and if you do things that don’t excite you, you will probably get bored or burnt out, and you’ll end up starting over anyway. Excitement will show in your work, and so will boredom. So, show the world your best.

Contact Info:

• Email: matthew@mfinleyphoto.com
• Website: https://www.mfinleyphoto.com
• Instagram: @mfinleyphoto

Image Credits:
Photography by Matthew Finley