Katie Blair Matthews is a freelance photographer based in Perthshire, Scotland.
Since beginning her professional career in Photography at the age of 16, Katie has produced a range of high quality and striking photography for high profile clients across Scotland and the UK such as Highland Park, The Glenrothes and The National Trust for Scotland. Katie has a passion for helping to promote independent, local businesses in Scotland, particularly those who are environmentally conscious.
In 2016, Katie graduated with a 1st Class Honours degree in Photography at Edinburgh Napier University and has since worked as a commercial photographer and a wedding photographer whilst carrying out various roles associated to the preservation and research of Photographic History in Scotland. In 2019, Katie worked with the National Trust of Scotland to help archive around 6,000 photographic prints and film negatives by Margaret Fay Shaw, who built an impressive visual archive of life in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland during the 20th century.
Katie during her Outlandia Artist Residency in 2017
Exhibitions
2015 Media Medicum Gallery 17 Edinburgh, UK
2015 Egalitarian Frames; Edinburgh World Justice Festival, Whitespace Gallery Edinburgh, UK
2016 Edinburgh Napier University Degree Show Edinburgh, UK
2016 Free Range Shows, Napier Photo Collective, The Old Truman Brewery London, UK
2016 Joint show Nanyang TU, DECK, Singapore
2016 Preserve, part of the Edinburgh World Justice Festival, Ocean Terminal
2016 Dualism; Mind & Matter, Hong Kong Design Institute, China
2017 Fife Fotospace, Glenrothes, UK
2017 Emerging Talent Exhibition, Retina Photography Festival
2017 Fòcas India Shortlist, Ann Lanntair Arts Centre, Stornoway, Isle of Lewis
Awards
2015 Winner of Creative Edinburgh Collaboration Award for 'Resilience Project'
2016 Winner of Calumet UK Photographic Award for 'Outstanding Achievement'
2017 Retina Photography Festival Emerging Talent
2017 Shortlisted for Fòcas India 2017-2018
2017 The John Byrne Award, November
Residencies
2017 Outlandia Artist Residency, Glen Nevis, Lochaber Scotland
2018 The Bothy Project, Sweeney’s Bothy, Isle of Eigg, Inner Hebrides
Publications
2018 Notes; Letters to Photography No. 4, Propagation Series
2021 Surveying the Anthropocene: Environment and Photography Now, Propagation Series
Education
2012-16 Edinburgh Napier University, Bachelor of Arts with First Class Honours in Photography
Work
2017 Research Assistant to photo historian & curator, Alexander Supartono; Edinburgh Napier University
2017 Photographer's Assistant
2018-19 Digitisation Archivist, Morton Photography Collection, National Trust for Scotland
2019-20 BA Honours Photography Teaching and Technical Assistant, Edinburgh Napier University
2020-22 Photographer for STUDIO Edrington, Glasgow