King's House Hotel, Scotland by Matthew Kime

Matthew Kime

Currently residing in: Brooklyn, NY

Website: www.mwkphotography.com

Work Statement:
I didn't really pick up a camera until college. With a hectic student schedule, I took pictures to relax and incorporated my camera into relaxing activities. After a long day of lectures, reading, writing, and sitting in a small dorm room, this meant doing something active. I started to go on night walks on a regular basis. It became a method for me to gain control in a new city.

The breakthrough in my work came when I switched to 4x5 and started walking longer distances. Large format freed me from the need to finish all 36 frames on a roll of film - frequently an impossibility. The price of a 4x5 negative convinced me that it was okay to go out with my camera and not shoot if nothing moved me. My NYC work became an exploration of the perimeter of Manhattan, an alternative to the grid of the city.

The three images I'm submitting are from my most recent project, Walking Britain. I walked 550 miles though Wales, Northern England, and Scotland, over 6 weeks with a 4x5 field camera on my back. This took the walking element of my work and pushed it to the boundaries of physical endurance. It was also a cultural experience. Walking tied together many small, out of the way places that foreigners rarely visit. However, the most compelling part of the experience was walking such distances as a form of travel. It lies directly in contrast to the American relationship with cars and how we've built our cities around them.

Bio:
I was born and raised in Appleton, WI and studied photography at New York University. While my interest in the visual arts had grown through high school, I didn't become interested in photography until I took a class freshman year. It was satisfying to make something and a welcome relief from writing papers.

I applied to the photography department with the work from that one semester and was accepted. The application process reassured me - it was a sudden choice but I was also accepted.

I spent the next two years floundering among much more experienced photographers. While I was enjoying the process, I wasn't getting much result. I left many critiques frustrated that not a word had been said about my images.

My work took a dramatic turn just before my senior thesis class. A semester of confusion with large format cameras finally produced a comfort with the awkward device. I started walking further with my camera and taking fewer pictures.

I graduated and received a grant for my New York nightscapes. I spent six months living in London before returning to Wisconsin (where I was shooting), Philadelphia (where I was moving to), and New York (where I had darkroom space).

Since graduating I've kept busy with a series of large photography projects when I'm not working to make a living.