Fascinating images from across the globe are on show at an exhibition in Ramsgate by travel photographer Gary Latham.
From beautiful images taken in Thanet to stunning works from Burma and Cambodia, the Gary Latham Retrospective exhibition at HOLD Creative Spaces displays photos spanning 20 years of work.
Gary studied Photography at Blackpool & The Fylde College and Lancaster University and has a BA (Hons) in Photography.
He moved to London in 1996, where he assisted high profile fashion and advertising photographers before going pro in 2000. He has worked for most of the UK’s travel magazines including Lonely Planet Magazine, Sunday Times Traveller, Conde Nast Traveller, House and Gardens, Olive magazine, Wanderlust and National Geographic.
Gary, who moved to Ramsgate in 2017, has also undertaken advertising commissions from international advertising agencies on projects for Rolls Royce, The Royal Mail, Transport for London and Fairmont Hotels amongst others. Since 2012 Gary has led photography tours in Burma, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand, combining his passion for travel and his commitment to helping others develop their photographic skills.
He got his first camera from his great-grandfather -a Manchester photographer- when he was just eight-years-old.
He said: “Watching black and white prints magically appear in a dark-room from a blank piece of paper enchanted me from that early age and the thrill of image making has never left me. It is why for me the image as an object is inextricably linked with the creative process and why I still like to make prints from my images.”
As happy taking images on a phone as he is using a camera, Gary said: “My aim is to tell a visual story while charging the image with an emotional resonance that will engage the viewer.
“I am always trying to find magic in the everyday and hoping to see the world from my own perspective, by this I mean trying to keep creative possibilities open in my mind while out taking pictures, trying to be receptive to the possibilities that different subjects and lighting present.
“Light and a sense of drama are very important. Image-making is somehow both a meditative and transformative activity. For me, It is a moment when different elements intersect and creativity can be expressed.
“Black and white photography, reportage and the Romantic art movement have helped inform my photographic viewpoint. I am looking to imbue my subjects with a mood, a feeling of mystery in the familiar, I am striving to find that special space between the found and the imagined.”
The exhibition at HOLD Creative Spaces opens today (August 26) and runs until August 31.
Gary is also planning to run photography workshops at Hold on Monday mornings from a date to be confirmed.
HOLD Creative Spaces is at Penstone House, Albert Street, Ramsgate.
Opening hours are 10am-6pm
Find out more about Gary’s work at www.garylathamphotography.co.uk