Immersed in Maui with Rosie Matheson

Award-winning photographer Rosie Matheson has shot for everyone from The Guardian and Getty Images to Nike, Vice, and ASOS as well as photographing musicians like RZA, Two Door Cinema Club, and Interpol’s Paul Banks. One of her most compelling recent projects, “Boys,” showcases a “softer” view of British masculinity and continues to garner her international attention. As a documentary style photographer based between London and Brighton, Rosie examines the emotional connection between people and places, searching for the extraordinary in the everyday while exploring her fascination of photographing someone else’s world.

We recently caught up with Rosie while on vacation in Maui, where her uncle, aunt, and cousins live. “It’s probably the best place to come to remove myself from my usual surroundings and get some headspace,” she says. “It’s a pretty surreal feeling to be surrounded by so much greenery and nature.” She says the magic of it all usually hits her when she leaves, though she’s always happy to be home in the city. “That’s where my heart lies and I feel most comfortable.” While Rosie rarely shares her personal photography work, she shot these 35mm photos while in Maui this past summer. She normally works in 120/medium format.

Surfers and swimmers in a Pacific-coast landscape. PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROSIE MATHESON.

Houses like this one on Oahu fascinate Rosie Matheson. ‘They’re so different from the homes back home.’ PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROSIE MATHESON.

A close-up portrait of the local style. PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROSIE MATHESON.