TCF Ep. 640 - Matthew Finley

The Candid Frame: Conversations on Photography

Ibarionex R. Perello

Arts, Visual Arts

4.8 • 768 Ratings

🗓️ 8 May 2025

⏱️ 57 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Matthew Finley (b. 1972) uses his photography to express himself and connect to the world around him. With a variety of photography processes, he explores intimate emotions through gesture and line to communicate his experience. Growing up queer in an unaccepting environment, Finley felt apart from the world around him. Now, as an adult working through anxiety, the studio is a safe space to create where he can be vulnerable and express his true self. Creating and exhibiting his work is a way to forge relationships with viewers and help those who see themselves reflected in it to feel less alone. Finding inspiration in classic art and statuary, he addresses modern issues such as his coming out story, intimate relationships, and finding peace in our tumultuous world. Based in Los Angeles, Finley's work has shown in solo and group shows in multiple galleries across the U.S. Most recently, his work was on the walls of the esteemed Fahey/Klein Gallery in Los Angeles with the likes of Herb Ritts and Herbert In 2024 Finley was awarded CENTER Santa Fe's Personal Award as well as the Center for Photographic Art's LGBTQ+ Artist Grant for his project An Impossibly Normal Life. Resources: Matthew Finley Website https://www.mfinleyphoto.com/ An Impossibly Normal Life Kickstarter Page https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/matthewfinley/an-impossibly-normal-life Altadena Photographers https://www.altadenaphotographers.org/ Support Ibarionex & The Candid Frame GoFundMe BuyMeaCoffee eBook Purchases Websites The Candid Frame Patreon Page The Candid Frame PayPal Contribution Link Signed Editions of "Making Photographs: Developing a Personal Visual Workflow. Photo Workshops & Webinars Breaking Out of a Rut: Tips for Creating Breakthroughs in Your Photography https://lacphoto.org/events/breaking-out-of-a-rut-tips-for-creating-breakthroughs-in-your-photography-with-ibarionex-perello-2025/ Sponsors Charcoal Book Club https://charcoalbookclub.com Frames Magazine FRAMES Magazine | Because Excellent Photography Belongs On Paper (readframes.com) Education Resources: Momenta Photographic Workshops https://momentaworkshops.com/workshops/ Candid Frame Resources The Candid Frame Newsletter & Substack Blog The Candid Frame Alexa Skill Making Photographs: Developing a Personal Visual Workflow The Candid Frame Flickr Pool The Candid Frame YouTube Channel Download the free Candid Frame app for your favorite smart device. Click here to download it for iOS. Click here to download it for Android Contribute a one-time donation to the show thru Buy Me a Coffee https://buymeacoffee.com/thecandidframe Support the work at The Candid Frame by contributing to our Patreon effort. You can do this by visiting patreon.com/thecandidframe or the website and clicking on the Patreon button. You can also provide a one-time donation via PayPal. You can follow Ibarionex on Instagram and Twitter.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Our personal photographs are about our memories.
0:10.0	We memorialize special moments and the family and friends we share them with
0:15.0	because we want to hold on to those fleeting and precious moments in time.
0:20.0	Those images tell a story of who we were,
0:24.2	to ourselves, and to the many people that make up our lives. However, there is a lot that's
0:29.5	left out of those photographs, allowing those images to reflect an idealized version of ourselves.
0:37.0	There are omissions, sometimes accidental, sometimes
0:40.6	purposeful, that leave or relegate an important part of the narrative just outside of the frame.
0:47.8	Matthew Finley discovered that he might have a gay uncle years after he himself came out to his family.
0:54.8	It was a surprising revelation to him to imagine such reality, especially since he had himself
1:01.8	faced the challenge of revealing his sexuality to his conservative family.
1:07.5	The uncle had passed away years ago, so the burning questions he may have wanted to ask were left unanswered.
1:15.0	However, his curiosity of who this man was and how he might have lived led him to create a body of work.
1:22.8	Matt collected found imagery and began creating a fictional narrative set in a world that would have embraced
1:29.4	this man rather than ostracize him or discriminate against him. The project, an impossibly
1:35.9	normal life, creates a world that the photographer himself would have welcomed. The result is a body
1:43.1	of work that is tender, vulnerable, and beautiful.
1:47.0	This is Ibody and X, and this is The Candid Frame.
1:53.0	Well, Matthew, welcome to the Candid Frame.
2:00.0	Thank you so much for having me.
2:02.4	It's an honor and I'm excited to be here.
2:06.9	It'll be, we've chatted in the years that we've known each other,
	...

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