On the cover photo
On the cover photo
Matthew Hayes
September 29, 2025
From the series Lost on Route 93, Mackay, Idaho, USA
“The picture makes me think of a gesture of affection known as kunik in Inuit culture, where two people gently rub noses. It reminds me of my childhood, when my mother and I would give each other nose kisses. The negative space between the two figures in the bottom left of the frame mimics this action.
The photograph was taken during a parade in the small mountain town of Mackay in Idaho’s Lost River Valley within the Rocky Mountains of North America. An evening thunderstorm visible in the background created a dynamic sky and lighting situation, advantageous for accentuating the available contrast, mood and angles within the scene. Layering has always been important for me as I believe it creates intimacy and depth. I was fortunate to have all the dark elements in the foreground align just right against the brighter background of the street to create a composition I hope the viewer finds compelling. Captured with a Leica M7, VIII 35mm Summicron and Ilford FP4 film stock.”
The photograph was taken during a parade in the small mountain town of Mackay in Idaho’s Lost River Valley within the Rocky Mountains of North America. An evening thunderstorm visible in the background created a dynamic sky and lighting situation, advantageous for accentuating the available contrast, mood and angles within the scene. Layering has always been important for me as I believe it creates intimacy and depth. I was fortunate to have all the dark elements in the foreground align just right against the brighter background of the street to create a composition I hope the viewer finds compelling. Captured with a Leica M7, VIII 35mm Summicron and Ilford FP4 film stock.”
Text and picture: © Matthew Hayes
EQUIPMENT: Leica M7, Summicron-M 35 f/2
LFI 7.2025+-
In this issue, discover striking black-and-white photographs by Moisés Levy. Also featured: insights into the Kurdish region of Hewraman on the border between Iran and Iraq by Hüsamettin Bahçe; Matthew Hayes’ photographs near Highway 93 in the northwestern United States; rare images from the hermetically sealed North Korea by Elena Chernyshova; and the photo series The Family of Migrants, a reference to the legendary exhibition The Family of Man. More
Matthew Hayes+-
Born in 1980, Hayes graduated in Photojournalism from the University of Montana in 2004. A central element of his work is the documentation of rural life and culture in the Rocky Mountains region of the north-western United States. His pictures have been exhibited in and received awards from various national and international institutions. Most recently, he won the Eyeshot Open Call 2024. More
From the series Lost on Route 93, Mackay, Idaho, USA