From his grandfather, to his mother, and then himself, junior Mattias Behrenroth had genes, an old Olympus camera, and the love of photography passed on to him.
“I’ve been doing [film photography] since spring 2024, but digital photography is where I started. I was gifted a digital camera first, and I started in early 2023,” Behrenroth said.
Behrenroth’s main type of photography is film photography. He began his photography journey after being inspired by his mother, Kathy Behrenroth, who is also a photographer.
“My mom and her photos inspired me because I’ve always seen the kind of photos that she took, like street photography or [photos] in other countries when she travels. I think it’s super sick, and also overall, the colors that you see in different photography styles is something I always wanted to [learn more about]. I thought it looked super cool,” Mattias Behrenroth said.
Despite being inspired by his mother’s photos, Behrenroth and his mother both have different styles and objects they like to photograph. His mother primarily took photos of vintage buildings, people, scenery on vacation and moments when the colors and shapes blended together well, while Behrenroth enjoys taking photos of more modern things.
“I really like taking photos of concerts [but] my main style of photography is everyday life: skating, surfing, riding our bikes, my friends and I. That’s my favorite thing because I just capture exactly what we’re doing,” Mattias Behrenroth said.
Behrenroth’s mother never pushed or forced Behrenroth to have a personal interest in photography. However, to her surprise, he was inspired by her and decided to pursue it, which Kathy Behrenroth was fully supportive of.
“He’s having fun, and I’m very proud of him. I saw him a few years ago when he started just dabbling in film photography, and now I look at his photos, and he’s definitely come far. I see him excelling and getting better and better every time. I’m proud of him, and it’s exciting. In my office, I have a whole display of all my cameras, and I told him, ‘Anytime you want to use any of these cameras, just go for it,’” Kathy Behrenroth said.
As a mother who shares Mattias’ interest in photography, Kathy Behrenroth also regularly shares cameras, photos and the most helpful thing, advice, with her son.
“I said, ‘Experiment, do your own thing, and try out different things. Don’t just stick with one type of photography; go out, take your camera and challenge yourself.’ That’s the biggest thing I can tell him,” Kathy Behrenroth said.
Photography has gifted Mattias Behrenroth with many experiences and new relationships. He only continues to improve his photography skills. He started simple, from taking photos at the beach with his friends, to now, taking photos of concerts at places like the Crypto Arena.
“You’ve kind of got to [somewhat] have an eye for photography, but it’s definitely something you can learn. You’re not born with it, but just pick up a camera and start taking photos of everything that you do in your everyday life,” Mattias Behrenroth said. “You’re going to develop passion for it.”
