MATT PORTEOUS

Matt Porteous is an award winning royal family photographer whose passion for images began through the small square lens of his yellow underwater Minolta. Fast forward a few years and he’s now a globally recognised photographer with royal and high profile weddings, renowned hotel chains, underwater landscapes and unknown forgotten villages forming his illustrious portfolio. We caught up with him to chat about secret swimming spots, surfing and sunset beers…

Home is…

Jersey and it’s pretty special. St. Brelade or St. Ouen’s Bay have got to be my top spots although I love exploring the beautiful rugged North coastline, where you can look out over the neighbouring islands and take in the island’s dramatic cliff faces. If I have friends visiting, it’s the first place I take them.

My weekend ritual involves…

It begins by watching the beautiful sunrise from the St. Catherine’s Breakwater out east, joining Sal Minty Gravett for a refreshing early morning swim. I love to squeeze in a boat trip to the Minquiers with Jersey Duchess or Go.sail.je. And no weekend is complete without surfing at St. Ouen followed by food and beers at Sands or a sunset BBQ on the beach.

The best brunch on the island?

No brunch is complete without great coffee. Lockes and Dandy’s are my goto. For food, Nude Beach in St. Aubin is amazing. I love the menu and it’s incredible to be able to watch the tide rise and fall with your toes in the sand. One of my best meals was there- it was a locally caught seafood curry eaten on a hot summer’s day with a 38-foot spring tide. The ocean lapped below our benches and a DJ played into the night. A real Ibiza-style feel right here in Jersey. It was amazing.

Where do you go to let your hair down?

I love listening to live music outdoors throughout the summer - Nude always have live music sessions and the Splash Sundays are brilliant for DJ events enjoyed at sunset. In winter, you’ll find me in Project 52.

Favourite restaurants?

For lunch it’s got to be Sands for their relaxed beach vibe but for dinner I like to head out east to Sumas for the best view of Gorey Castle. I’ve had great meals at The Anchor Club in St. Aubin and Botana in St. Helier too.

Any secret swimming spots?

The secluded cove at Plémont Bay offers a peaceful escape from the busy beaches. Although I think I spend most of my time down at St. Ouen’s Bay surfing or waiting for waves! I find my inspiration by the water and tend to do a lot of my work from my van parked at the beach.

What are you working on at the moment?

I am focused on two projects at the moment. One is an ocean project, Ocean Culture life, where we are working to build a global community of ocean storytellers and guardians to raise awareness about the importance of ocean conservation and the challenges it faces. The second project is Exordi, which aims to connect brands with the world’s best creators and provide a central platform for content campaigns. This project aims to make it easier for brands to reach their target audience and improve the overall effectiveness of their marketing efforts.

Both projects aim to give a voice to important causes and create meaningful connections between people and our planet.

Describe Jersey in 3 words… Beautiful, Relaxed, and Inspiring.