Tim Matheson Photography

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Starting in the 1960's with a Kodak Brownie and black & white film I have been exploring life through imagery. Making images of live performance in theatre, opera, dance and music is a great opportunity for me to create with people living their dreams. The nature of live performance is ephemeral and the photographs provide a continuing connection to the moments this work is made of. I am constantly grateful to be able to participate in this way with so many wonderful people. Other forms of photography I am engaged with include fine art, portraiture, stock photography, horticultural books and magazine assignments.

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Vancouver Professional Theatre Awards
1992 Design Team, "A Map of the Senses", Touchstone Theatre
1993 Visual Realization, "Polygraph", PI Theatre
2000 Artistic Achievement in Projection Design, Personal Recognition
2001 Overall Production Design "Lonely Cowboy", PI Theatre

Vancouver Professional Theatre Award Nominations
1994 Projections, "Land E scapes", Tamahnous Theatre
1997 Design Team, "Sex in Heaven", Touchstone Theatre
1997 Design Team, "Sled", Touchstone Theatre
1997 Outstanding Achievement in Projection Design, Personal
Recognition
2002 Significant Artistic Achievement in Projection Design, "The Yoko
Ono Project", Firehall Arts Centre
2004 Significant Artistic Achievement in Projection Design, "Soulless",
Rumble Theatre

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Assignment work:

Axis Theatre
AM Productions
Arts Club Theatre
Banff Festival of Mountain Films
Belfry Theatre
B.C. Gas
B.C. Ministry of Multiculturalism
BMW Masters Ski Series
Bridge Communications
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp
CHANEL
Coca-Cola Corporation
Fire Hall Arts Centre
Flash Communications
Greenpeace
Green Thumb Theatre
Headlines Theatre
Hong Kong Museum of History
I. C. B. C.
Knowledge Network
Lone Pine Publishing
National Film Board
New Play Centre
NeWorld Theatre
Ophidean Entertainment
Pacific Opera Victoria
PI Theatre
Playhouse Theatre
Public Dreams Society
Purple Sound
Rock Paper Scissors Productions
Rumble Theatre
Ruby Slippers
Tagish Presentations
The Talent Group
Tamahnous Theatre
Theatre Under The Stars
Touchstone Theatre
Urban Ink
Vancouver Aquarium
Vancouver East Cultural Centre
Vancouver International Children's Festival
Vancouver Magazine
Vancouver Opera
Western Canada Wilderness Committee
Western Theatre Conspiracy
Women's Sports & Fitness

Recently Published Photographs:

Altitude Publishing
Calgary Herald
Chandos Records
Georgia Straight
Globe and Mail
Lone Pine Books
National Post
New York Times Sunday edition
Office of Cultural Affairs, City of Vancouver
Outside Magazine
Pacific Northwestern
Patagonia Catalogue
Playboard Magazine
Raincoast Books
Reel West Magazine
Sunset Magazine
Talon Books
Vancouver Courier
Vancouver Province
Vancouver Sun
West Ender

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Live Performance photography involves seeing into the moments that create the show, the story being told visually at moment, the feeling. Being ready technically and being present in the moment, seeing the perspective or point of view that best portrays the stage picture, moving to anticipate the scenes blocking, being ready, then just being.

It is one of my highest goals to be at my best and make a photograph of a performer at their best, to share what they do back with them.

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Event photography can be for any moment, often gatherings with many people. The role of the photograph, in seeing everyone, or a few people in the moment of the event can be much more than a record of the occasion. It is the act of recognition, that the importance of the event deserves to be celebrated and remembered.

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A chosen moment. Portraits are of a moment we choose to remember, that time of who we are. Sometimes with intentions of communicating a specific impression, as with a headshot, but the choice comes from the present for the future.

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PHOTOGRAPHIC SERVICES

>> Image concept and design
>> Studio facilities
>> Specialty is on location live photography
>> Full portable lighting kit and backgrounds
>> Full digital photography systems (accredited Canon Professional)
>> Highly skilled and innovative Photoshop 7 operators for image
development and production
>> Images delivered on CD, transmitted over internet or posted
>> Images can be formatted to your needs
>> Custom archival printing available
>> Full traditional film systems are available in 35mm, 2 1/4 format
>> Custom archival color and black & white printing up to 16 X 20"

"Thanks for the beautiful images and for your wonderful positive energy!"
Jennifer Belfry Theatre

"You made us look great! Thanks! "
Group portrait BC Gas

"You are absolutely amazing - I put you in the genius category! Thank you for your artistry and hard work."
Lisa Bayliss actress

"You are such a wonderful photographer, we are so lucky to have you aboard"
Electric co. Theatre

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PROJECTION SERVICES

>> Design and consultation for visual projection systems
>> Research, creation and production of visual imagery
>> Video, photography, shadow and light

"Many thanks for the brilliant visuals and generous approach to this project. Once again it has been a pleasure working with you."
Diane Kadota General Manager
Hard Rubber New Music Society

"Great resonant visuals, truly beautiful and breathtaking"
Roy Surette Belfry theatre

"I'm proud Vancouver Opera is associated with such an outstanding award winning designer!"
James Wright Vancouver Opera

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ANATOMY LESSON
Pi Theatre
Director Del Surjik
Lee Van Paassen as Martha

No set - all imagery achieved with projection onto sheer fabric hung in the black box theatre. The first configuration is a flat curtain 10 feet tall and 30 feet wide. With hinges at 10 feet and 20 feet of the 30 feet, we could form the 3 sides of a box, and using another track bring in the 4th wall of the sheer box.

Projecting onto and through this fabric was wonderful.

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Vancouver Professional Theatre Awards Jessie Award

2000 Artistic Achievement in Projection Design
Personal Recognition

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AUGUSTINE BIG HYSTERIA
Pi Theatre
Director Del Surjik
Kirsten Robeck as Augustine

This show used 5 Slide projectors covering the high wall behind the stage area and 2 projectors onto bed curtains used as a scrim with the actor in the bed moving through the documented poses.

This image is of Augustine in a falling series seen behind her during a movement piece recreating photographs made to document hysteria.

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A PERFECT GANESH
Belfry Theatre Victoria BC
Roy Surret Director

A Large Look play with settings starting in North America, onto a plane wing, then India, trains, people, everything. The set by Robert Gardener, and so wonderfully crafted at the Belfry, was covered with projections from 8 slide projectors, including the floor which was a large revolve. Rich and full of character the images helped to be where the play was set. A very successful use of projection.

In this photograph, the revolve is taking the boat, which is a bench turned upside down, down the Ganges River around and around. The projection of the river bank helps to create their environment.

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POLYGRAPH
Pink Ink Theatre and Théâtre la Seiziéme
Vancouver East Cultural Centre

Directed by Sandano Schultz and Roger Gaudet

This set was mainly an 8 foot high wall, wing to wing. I projected onto the front of it and had a screen floating above it. At the opening of the show credits are seen on the wall, Big, 7 feet tall, the actress is raised in the darkness on a hydraulic lift above the wall into our sightlines. I project graphics of her body systems onto her naked body. The nevous system, the lymph system, the skeletal system, and as the music builds, the blood circulatory system – split into 2 halves of blue and red blood. The pulse between the blue and the red halves builds with the music until they both lock on and fade away, very effective! Only the beginning of the show!

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Vancouver Professional Theatre Awards

1993 Visual Realization "Polygraph" Pink Ink Theatre, and Théâtre la Seiziéme

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SOULLESS
by Arron Bushkowsky
Rumble Theatre
Directed by Norman Armor

A nine projector slide show, with 3 projectors in a group rear projecting onto 3 screen areas. Using an AVL Genesis computer controlling 3 Dove X dissolve units the projectors were housed in closed boxes for sound baffling. Also integrated was an auxiliary power supply which turned off the projector motors when the projector is not being used.

The 3 screen format created a wide panorama, which was sometimes a realistic view from the rooftop, or could be split into 3 locations during the scene. The rich and fine resolution slides looked beautiful, so much nicer than video.

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Vancouver Professional Theatre Awards 2004

Nominated for Significant Achievement in Slide Design

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THE MASQUE AFFECT
Directed by Michael Cavanagh

The Masque Affect, a new musical based on the life and music of George Frederic Handel. Staged as a workshop at the Centre in Vancouver, we placed the invited audience of 300 on the stage facing the empty seats in the house and flew in the rear projection screen filling the proscenium arch. Using a 8,000 Lumen Barco video projector the brightness was great and the scale of such a large image so close to the audience was very impressive.

This is a rehearsal photograph but it shows the scale and brightness.

www.dmasque.com

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THE SCORE
The Electric Company

This show used eight slide projectors covering the front of the proscenium, onto the stage floor itself, and full coverage of the rear wall also one video projector to cover the rear wall.

The content of the projections helped to communicate some of the science being discussed, the motion of the video in images such as the blue homepage of my site and created dynamic environments throughout the whole stage space. Adrian Muirs lighting design integrated the projections into the stage light with color washes.

The homepage image on this website is a photo from The Score - Megan Leech in front of a projection of a spinning Centrifuge.

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XTREME OPERA
Vancouver Opera
Directed by John McLaughlin Gray

A 27 projector grid of slide projectors to fill the proscenium arch of the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver. The huge image was created using 6 projectors blended into a single image.

This image has 12 foot flames surrounding a devilish character to back up the Vancouver Opera chorus.

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Tim Matheson Photography

15705 - 349 West Georgia St.
Vancouver, BC
Canada
V6B 5B4

ph 604 251 6096

timmatheson@telus.net