Pauline Mathiot, Photographer
Inspiring women of our community – Discover Pauline Mathiot
Inspired by the ocean and the sun, Pauline Mathiot uses her creativity to capture magical moments through her lens. Her work allows her to share her vision of the world and to convey emotions. We had the chance to ask her a few questions about her artistic approach and her inspirations:
Where does your passion for photography come from?
I started to like photography very early on, without even really realizing it. I was 14 years old; I took pictures of everything around me with a very small device, and it seemed normal to me. I never said to myself that “I loved it”. I never really said to myself either that I was going to become a photographer. At 24, I started to travel. I kept taking pictures of everything. I just wanted to capture the memories.
Without realizing it, I trained, I perfected myself, I directed my eye. My palette of colors has been defined over the years. I liked poetry, I wanted to reproduce the pastels of Wes Anderson, the nostalgia of the hearts. I like what the photo implies. The patience, the sensitivity to detail, infinite renewal, the search for light, room for the unexpected, the blur, the real. I like to identify a face, the spark of a moment.
It is believed sometimes that being behind a camera prevents us from being fully present. I believe it's quite the opposite. Taking a photo implies that the moment is already magnificent in our eyes. We live it, we feel it and we give it eternal colors.
What are your sources of inspiration?
I am inspired by the life around me. I am lucky to be able to travel, inspiration is not hard to find. Elsewhere, our senses are multiplied. We feel everything stronger; we are constantly on the alert. We notice new smells, colors that have no name and that tint the sky. I also find inspiration in books, core of my imagination; in film scenography and in the atmosphere of situations of which I am a spectator. Also, and especially in the details that are around me. A seashell, a book cover whose title inspires me, the last rays on a calm ocean, a fabric that catches the light, an atypical face crossed in the street, a golden jewel, I come across the information and it becomes the beginning of my next photo.
What are your favorite subjects to photograph?
My universe varies and evolves over the years. I imagine it grows with me. I started with pictures of trips, I loved the desert expanses of Chile, the power of the waves of the Pacific or the silence of Patagonia. I liked to climb volcanoes and capture the first golden glow. Then I started liking faces. They tell so much. I then realized that I wanted to photograph stories and to share them. My photographs began to work in series. I invented a beginning and an end to each of them. They looked like the ocean, silhouettes, moving bodies. sometimes blurry, sometimes too sharp. Always tinted with salt water.
What are you passionate about other than photography?
Surfing, without any surprises :). Surfing and photography are both foundations in my life. Cinema too. I love going alone, it's my time to disconnect. I can talk about a movie in more time than it lasted. I like it so much. And then I would say the Second World War. It kind of comes out of nowhere; I admit it, but this part of the story fascinates me. I like all the films and books that relate to this event. We will never have covered everything that happened. There are so many things to learn, and even more to try to understand.
What is your favorite travel destination?
The one I haven't done yet I believe. I fell in love with El Salvador 3 years ago, it's also where I put my suitcases, but I feel that little by little I want something else. The last years have been lulled by the turquoise water, the infinite waves, the palm trees, and the rose-tinted sky. It made me infinitely happy. But I think I'm now searching of beaten earth from Africa and the Orient, warm complexions, mountains of sand, arid deserts, ocher and gold. Another land of discovery, a new setting on which to lay my eye on.
What is your June bikini that follows you in all your adventures?
The Yvonne bottom & Leon Licorice top without a doubt! I love them, really, everything is perfect, from the fabric to the shape, including it’s support to go surfing. It is sporty while remaining elegant.
To know more about Pauline – take a look at her Instagram right here!