Sea, Ponds and Rivers

LFI: What significance – even subconsciously – does water have for you as a motif?
Mathieu Chaze: Photographing water is photographing something that is billions of years old. Water is at the origin of life on Earth and is essential to all known forms of life. But I think that what has led me to be attracted to water as a motif is more visceral than that. When I first became a photographer about 5 years ago, I was coming out of 15 years in the City in London and I was burned out. I needed to reconnect with family and nature in a big way. Photography was my conduit, my tool to do this. At first I photographed my children; when my boys disappeared from in front of my lens, I was left with the landscape and within it, the element which kept attracting my eye was water. For me water is a soothing element and giving it my full attention has allowed me to find myself in a state of flow, which is essential to create good art. We could say that water has been my muse for this body of work.

Where did you take your photos?
For the most part in the South-West of England, but also in Scotland, Norway, France, Puerto Rico and Thailand. In a way, the place does not matter in this body of work, as I'm not trying to document a place but rather create a series of individual “tableaux”, which all have a common thread, which is water. For the type of images I make, the time of day, the weather, the photographic technique will affect more the way water looks like, rather than where it was taken in the world.

Why do you consider black and white the most suitable stylistic device for your pictures? How does it enhance the expressiveness?
I think my vision was created by looking at the work of my photographic heroes – Salgado, Sally Mann, Koudelka, Edward Weston, to name of few – who all worked in black and white. I think black and white photography, partly because of its level of abstraction, is more suited to conveying an emotion.

How did you find working with the camera?
Three quarters of my pictures are taken with the Q2. It's the perfect camera for me – the perfect mix of size, form and performance. I usually work with my Q2 with a flash mounted, which I'll use to add layers to the pictures. I like to work quickly and adjust the composition by moving, kneeling down, climbing on rocks. I like that aspect of photographing, the physical performance. The smallest move, the slightest change in light can completely transform a picture, which is why I like having a small camera, preferably not on a tripod. When I need a bit more flexibility with the focal lens, and when I have a bit more time to compose, I use my SL2 and the SL24-90.

What effect do you want your photographs to have on the viewer?
For me, a good picture should create an emotion in the viewer without the need for any context. So I hope my photographs can do that. I hope the viewer will be moved in one way or another. I hope the viewer will feel a mixture of feelings from contemplation, to foreboding, to hope. And maybe anger. Anger that we are destroying all this beauty for nonsensical pursuits.