A LOCAL photographer has been awarded the Royal Photographic Society’s prestigious Licentiate status – after his images caused a stir amongst the judging panel.

Matt Thornhill joins an elite across the world in becoming affiliated to the RPS, and it was a rocky journey, as he explains.

To become a Licentiate of The Society, applicants must show variety in approach and techniques but not necessarily in subject matter. Matt submitted ten of his best photographs to the RPS in Bristol to be assessed by an expert panel of professionals.

Two of the portraits caused such lengthy discussion between the panel judges that his assessment was thought to be compromised: it was deferred by a month, and passed to a new panel of assessors.

The first depicts a Liskeard artist, Hannah, after her double mastectomy. To both Matt and Hannah, the image is a celebration of how she has overcome the difficulties of breast cancer through art, but the panel felt the portrait was controversial.

The second problematic image was a portrait of the media personality and far-right commentator Katie Hopkins. Showing Katie with her lips sewn shut, the photograph was one of a series Matt had been creating on the theme of people from across the political spectrum who have been “cancelled” because of their views.

Hopkins, who has been banned from Twitter and was recently deported from Australia for bragging about flaunting quarantine rules, is not the same in real life as her media persona, says Matt.

“I had the idea for a portrait and she kindly agreed,” he said.

“As much as she is marmite for people, she is actually lovely. She’s not like she is on the telly. She’s a very clever lady.

“We had conversations about life and what everyone was going through (in the lockdown). It was a really nice chilled environment, we chatted about anything and everything, but we didn’t talk about politics.”

As a set, the ten photographs are not all connected, but many explore notions of femininity and masculinity: Matt’s pregnant wife Natalie is one of the subjects, along with other close relatives and some local people: café owner Lee Edwards and GWR guard on the Looe branch line Shaun Medlin.

Portrait photography is where he excels, Matt feels. “I try and make people relaxed, and just keep clicking and hopefully capture that fleeting moment that nobody else will see ever again.”

He says he intends to apply for the next level up Associate status with the RPS in due course – but says he’ll “let the emotional turmoil of achieving Licentiate settle first!”

Matt, who works for the MoD as his day job, had trained in photography back in 1999, and it remained a passion and a hobby for many years. In 2016, he set up a small videography and photography studio in St Neot. He was awarded an “official selection” title in the 2020 Cornwall Film Festival with his short film “Liskeard Unlocked: The Children’s Strike”.

Matt will be showcasing his successful Licentiate panel, plus other photographs that didn’t make the final cut, at a small exhibition on September 29 and 30 at Stuart House in Liskeard. It’s meant as a thank you to those who collaborated in his work: he hopes the exhibition will also provide inspiration to other photographers.

The Royal Photographic Society is an educational charity promoting both the art and the science of photography. Its Distinctions are one of the most widely recognised and respected photography awards throughout the world, and there are three levels, Licentiate, Associate and Fellowship.