Artist Statement

I believe that a camera can capture a brilliant photograph in two ways.  Firstly, a beautiful image can be captured when there is an obviously beautiful scene in front of the camera.  The photograph can be well composed or well exposed to emphasise the beauty of the scene, but the true wonder of the picture will always be the subject in it.  The other way a brilliant photograph can be taken, is that a scene that is normally or dinary and boring can be placed in front of the camera, and a photograph can be captured using an unusual viewpoint, composition, or exposure to create a fascinating and even beautiful image.  Whether I am photographing my own back garden, or a wondrous corner of our planet, I try to use one or both of these methods to creating a brilliant photograph.

Born in 1989, Matt Scholey grew up in the city of Bristol, UK.  He first picked up a serious camera on holiday in Kenya in 2003, which he soon took to using.  On his return he surprised himself, and others around him, with the quality of many of his images of the African wilderness.  Famous photographer and television presenter Jonathon Scott, who works in the area that Matt Scholey visited on holiday, described one of his pictures as “great”, saying “[I] wish I had taken it”.  Scholey continued his newly discovered talent with the camera in his hometown of Bristol, soon proving that he did not need a beautiful scene to take an exceptional photograph.  His work around his house surprised those who knew the area, with how a fascinating image could be created from an or dinary and boring scene.  Since taking up photography, Matt Scholey has travelled the world with a camera in his hand luggage.  His portfolio contains striking images taken in all corners of the globe, and he has recently been awarded the Lady Frank Prize for Art for his work.

Matt Scholey

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