For more than 20 years photographer Matthew Thorsen's pictures were a mainstay in Vermont’s weekly newspaper Seven Days, capturing the people, events and landscapes of the state and defining the paper’s visual style. He was well-known in Burlington's art and music scenes, as much for his quirky sense of style and shock of bleach blond hair as for his photographs.
Thorsen died on New Year's Day after a yearslong battle with cancer. He was 51.
In 2011 Thorsen explained how he connected with the people he photographed to Seven Days colleague Eva Sollberger:
“I just ask them about themselves a lot … If I'm showing up for a story, I don't want to be like, 'hey, I'm Matt Thorsen, I think I'm really neat.' I just start asking them questions, I guess. And plus, sometimes, some places, people don't want you looking at their stuff. They're like, 'oh, jeeze, hey, 'and you know they’ve cleaned the house already, but they tell you not to photograph things, and you end up make a joke about that, and even making a joke about what people are hiding makes them relax, and it makes me relax too. Like, 'oh, you're greasy too.' People reveal an insecurity ,I guess, it makes them a little humble and helps prepare them a little bit for the picture … but to draw out somebody, like a timidity or a genuine non-pose, sometimes it’s hard. But I also like the pose people put out. You know, that's pretty funny.”
Broadcast live on Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019 at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.
