The Chronicle Q&A - Photographer and rose farmer Samantha Matthews

Sam Matthews says she would be off to Dunedin if she was banished from Whanganui. Photo / Supplied

Samantha Matthews is a Whanganui photographer and rose farmer at Matthews Roses - a family business that has operated since 1947.

What is your favourite thing to do in Whanganui?

Going for a drive with my camera and exploring - photographing things as they are, before they might change, and looking at things that people might wander past. I like going popping into galleries too, like Space or the Sarjeant. Whanganui has some really good ones and they’re all quite close together. It’s easy to have a little moment and go around to see the shows.

What is one thing about Whanganui you think needs improving?

Whanganui is such a cool place. I think we just need to keep doing what we’re doing, and moving forward. We’ve got the (Whanganui) awa, we’ve got the arts, and we are a UNESCO City of Design. We need to keep promoting that.

Would you rather dance to every song you heard or sing to every song you heard?

That’s an easy one - dance. I went to the Sharyn Underwood School of Dance, shout-out to Sharyn, she’s amazing. We still keep in touch.

Dance was a really big part of my life at one time, as well as photography, and it was hard to split my time between the two. I ended up pursuing photography.

I can’t really sing, either.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

Go with your intuition. There’s something to be said for just going with your gut feeling on things.

If you were banished from the Whanganui District, where would you choose to live instead?

I lived in Dunedin for a long time, so that’s where I’d go back to. It’s a great place and I do love the South Island. There’s just something about Central Otago. It’s hot in the summer, cold in the winter, it’s all good.

Matthews Roses turned 75 last year. What do you think the business will look like after the next 75 years?

I hope there are still lots of super healthy roses for everyone because they’re just getting better and better. I’d also love to see more of our New Zealand roses overseas for people to enjoy. Hopefully, we (the Matthews) are still around then too. We’ve made it this far so what’s another 75 years? It’ll go in a blink of an eye.

When you’re not taking photos of roses, what other things do you like to capture on film?

I guess some people would say my style is contemporary documentary. In the past, I’ve done quite personal projects, like Fordell, where I grew up, or Lambhill House, which is in my family. It’s everyday New Zealand, basically.

Roses are how I got into photography. When I was a kid, we had an amazing guy called Ted Hannay who photographed all our original colour labels, and me and Dad would help him shoot really early in the morning. No Photoshop, you just had to do it as it was. I was allowed to push the shutter release cable and that was really exciting.

What‘s on your playlist when you’re out on the farm?

Tame Impala is on high rotation, any time of day and whatever is going on. That’s my jam. We listen to everything and anything up in the paddock but Tame impala has been my go-to over the years. I could listen to their album Currents a hundred times.

How do you think Whanganui has changed over the years?

I think it’s definitely changed, but all for the better. It feels more inclusive and there is more going on. Every time I meet people now they’ve just moved to Whanganui, and that means you’re getting a fresh perspective on things.

If photography and roses were off the table, what what you do instead?

I would love to run a gallery, that would be fun. Then again, maybe it would be something to do with travel because usually, I have to be here all the time and spend so much time on the farm.

This is a hard question to answer because I’m really lucky to be doing what I’m doing and what I want to do. That’s cheesy but it’s the truth.