Mathilde Rietsch - Photographer
Briefly say hi and tell us a little about yourself.
Hi, my name is Mathilde Rietsch, I am 22 years old and I'm currently finishing a bachelor's degree in graphic design at the art school of Lausanne, Switzerland. Besides my studies I dedicate a lot of time to my passion, photography, which I have been practicing for 6 years. I like landscape and portrait photography. I post my photos on Instagram under the name @Frihead (a play on the word with "free head", and "frihed" which means "freedom" in Danish). As I do not have the opportunity to travel much for financial reasons but also because of my ecological concern, I take most of my pictures in Switzerland. Even if our country is very small, the variety of landscapes that one can observe makes sure I never get bored!
How did you get into photography?
I bought my first camera (a Lumix FZ-200) when I was 15 years old. I do not really know why, but I had a strong attraction to the medium before I even had a chance to test it. I followed my intuition and that purchase turned out to be the beginning of a passion that is still growing today. I started by taking pictures of my surroundings, mostly macro photos of what I could find in my garden, then portraits of my family and friends, then I finally started taking landscape photos. I created my first instagram account in 2015. This allowed me to express my creativity and to connect with a lot of talented people from all around the world.
You take very beautiful landscape photographs. What inspired you to start capturing landscapes?
My passion for landscape photography was born when I did my first road trip in Switzerland with a friend of mine, who is a photographer and knew Switzerland well. I had already done some hiking with my camera, but I had no idea what made a landscape photo interesting (I didn't pay attention to the time of day, the light, the composition...). Spending those 3 days in the mountains, driving from one breathtaking place to another, being able to admire beautiful sunrises and sunsets and discovering my own country definitely motivated me to start landscape photography. I like being able to capture the beauty of a place, and trying to convey the emotion I felt while contemplating it.
It looks like you spend a lot of time outdoors in your home country of Switzerland. What are some of your favorite locations to explore there?
This is a difficult question, I feel that every place in Switzerland is wonderful and worth a visit. If I had to choose, I would say the canton of Valais, located in the south of the country, where the highest peaks of Switzerland can be found. The landscapes in this area are varied and sometimes you feel like you are in Scotland, New Zealand or even in the Himalayas. I particularly like taking pictures of lakes there, like the Lac de Moiry, the Lac Bleu near Arolla, the Lacs de Fenêtre, or the Lac de Taney, just to name a few.
How did you get into hiking, in particular was there someone or something that inspired you?
Thanks to my parents who are mountain lovers, I have been hiking almost since I can remember. When I was only a few months old, my parents carried me in a baby carrier, so I was used to the alpine landscape from a very young age. As I grew up, I gradually lost interest in this sport, which I found too tiring, too slow. It was only when I started doing landscape photography that I rediscovered the pleasure of hiking. Having a goal (to take pictures) keeps me motivated and attentive during the whole hike and is therefore much more fun and interesting for me than walking just for the sake of it, in my opinion.
What area of the world is on the top of your list to photograph, and any specific location?
At the moment, I would love to go to America, it is a continent that fascinates me by the beauty and diversity of its landscapes and I haven't had the chance to discover it yet. My big dream would be to travel from Alaska to Patagonia, via the west coast of the United States, and maybe do part of the Pacific Crest Trail, a hike that goes from the North to the South of the United States. I still have a lot to discover in the world, but I feel that I will always be deeply attached to Switzerland and its mountains.
