TCF Ep. 640 - Matthew Finley
The Candid Frame: Conversations on Photography
Release Date: 05/08/2025
The Candid Frame: Conversations on Photography
When photographers Ken Browar and Deborah Ory first began collaborating on what would become NYC Dance Project, they set out to create portraits that could honor the athleticism, artistry, and emotional force of dance. Their work has since become synonymous with a style of portraiture that is both elegant and explosive—capturing dancers in motion with a precision that reveals not only physical mastery, but also vulnerability, discipline, and grace. Over the years, their lens has been turned toward some of the world’s most accomplished performers, translating movement into still images that...
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When photographer Stephanie Pommez began documenting the lives of traditional midwives in the Amazon, she was drawn by a desire to understand how communities shape meaning through ritual, labor, and shared belief. Over several years, she traveled through river-dweller communities, photographing women who serve not only as caretakers and healers, but as guardians of local culture. What began as a documentary exploration of daily life gradually opened onto something more expansive—an encounter with the oral traditions and myths that run alongside the visible world. That long engagement evolved...
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When photographer Tawny Chatmon creates a portrait, she is doing more than arranging light and subject—she is reconstructing history. Drawing from classical European painting traditions while centering contemporary Black subjects, her work reclaims visual space that has long excluded them. Through layered textures, gold leaf, and painterly surfaces, Tawny creates images that feel both timeless and urgently present. Her portraits challenge the conventions of representation, placing children and families within compositions that evoke Renaissance and Baroque aesthetics while subverting their...
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When photographer Jamey Price first turned his lens toward motorsports, he wasn’t simply chasing speed—he was chasing feeling. The roar of engines, the blur of motion, the choreography of pit crews and drivers—all of it became raw material for a visual language that balances technical precision with emotional intensity. His photographs don’t just freeze high-performance machines; they capture the atmosphere, tension, and spectacle that define global racing culture. That pursuit culminates in his new book, Racing Unfiltered, a signed and numbered edition that brings readers closer to...
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When photographer Danielle L. Goldstein and editor–writer Caroline Goldstein came together to create Transience, the result was a collaboration rooted in restraint, trust, and attentiveness. The book occupies the in-between—those fleeting, unresolved moments that resist easy interpretation. Danielle’s photographs do not insist on meaning; instead, they invite the viewer into a space of quiet observation, where tenderness and uncertainty are allowed to coexist. Caroline Goldstein’s editorial sequencing and text deepen that experience without attempting to fix it in place. Her words...
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When photographer Amani Willett turns his attention to American life, he does so with a quiet precision that reveals both its poetry and its contradictions. Working primarily in black and white, Amani’s photographs explore themes of history, memory, race, and belonging—often focusing on overlooked spaces and moments that carry deep cultural resonance. His work invites viewers to slow down and consider how the past lingers in the present, shaping both personal and collective identity. That approach has defined a career rooted in long-term observation and thoughtful storytelling. Whether...
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Trembling Earth Book Altadena Photographers Support Ibarionex & The Candid Frame Websites Sponsors Charcoal Book Club Frames Magazine Education Resources: Momenta Photographic Workshops Candid Frame Resources Contribute a one-time donation to the show thru Buy Me a Coffee Support the work at The Candid Frame by contributing to our Patreon effort. You can do this by visiting or the website and clicking on the Patreon button. You can also provide a one-time donation via . You can follow Ibarionex on and .
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When photographer Ben Geier first began making images, it was his Midwest upbringing and a fascination with abandoned places that set him on a path of visual discovery. Over the past decade, Ben’s work has led him across the United States in search of once-vibrant theatres, roadside restaurants, neon signs, motels, and storefronts—places that carry the texture of America’s cultural and architectural history. What distinguishes his photography is not just what he shoots, but how he sees: with a design-informed eye for composition, color, and the quiet beauty in forgotten spaces. That...
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When photographer Martyn Goddard began documenting the emerging punk and new wave scene in London during the late 1970s, he was capturing more than a musical movement—he was photographing a cultural revolution. His lens found its way to some of the most influential bands of the era, none more iconic than Blondie. His candid, stylish, and energetic photographs reveal the band’s magnetic presence both on and off stage, chronicling the rise of Debbie Harry and her bandmates at a moment when music, fashion, and attitude collided. That work is now celebrated in his new book, Blondie: In Camera,...
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When photographer and educator Mark Comon talks about photography, his passion is unmistakable. As the owner of Paul’s Photo in Torrance, California, and founder of the Creative Photo Academy, Mark has spent decades helping photographers at every level discover their creative potential. Through economic downturns, digital revolutions, and even the pandemic, he has kept Paul’s Photo thriving—one of the rare family-owned camera stores to endure and grow in an industry transformed by change. Mark’s philosophy is rooted in community and education. He believes that photography flourishes...
info_outlineMatthew 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
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
Websites
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
Sponsors
Charcoal Book Club
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
Making Photographs: Developing a Personal Visual Workflow
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.