BOOKS: LIBERATED

Liberated is a landmark new photography book in many ways. It’s the first book by Perth photographer Richard Matias, but it’s also the first book of male nude photography ever produced in Western Australia.

What’s more, it’s a project with a very worthy cause at its heart. All the photographer’s proceeds go directly to support the WA AIDS Council’s Freedom Centre and its work with LGBTQI young people in Western Australia.

The natural, sexy look of these Western Australian men also distinguish the book as something different – particularly when these men are set against the many beautiful and sparsely populated beaches of Perth. Matias tends to not work with professional models. Instead, many of the models are his friends or guys who like his work and offer to pose for him. Matias is drawn to boy-next-door good looks and he prefers natural looking men, avoiding excessive photo-shopping.

Many of my models simply do not realise how beautiful they are and how transient their beauty is.

“For me, it’s not simply a matter of photographing good looking subjects,” he says. “I’m trying to capture a look, a glimpse into who the subject really is and in its purest form I’m trying to capture the essence of male beauty. Many of my models simply do not realise how beautiful they are and how transient their beauty is. Most of my models are young and they may never look so beautiful, innocent, sensual or erotic again. I’m always trying to capture that beauty – before its lost forever.”

Matias’ models identify as straight, gay, bi or pansexual and that’s one of the reasons Liberated includes text as well as photography. Matias is interested in how we all liberate ourselves from our hang ups, sexual norms and inhibitions and shares his own experiences and insights in the book.