World on film
Above: One of Martin's exhibition photos
For what reason would a man give up on a successful career and take off to the far-flung corners of the world? If not for a passion what else could it be?
Martin Smith from Barnet was a successful investment banker but just over 20 years ago he gave it all up to travel the world. He has recorded his amazing, no, absolutely astonishing, journeys with the help of his camera and now makes his living exhibiting and selling his photographs and printed images.
Martin has travelled the world over, visiting the Americas, Asia, South Africa and Australia. He has photographed places such as Cambodia and Cuba, Vietnam and Zanzibar and yet he has been equally inspired by the likes of Brighton and Cornwall.
He had not long been back from Australia before he set off for a month long trip to Papua New Guinea, from which some of his images may well be used in his forthcoming exhibition. World on Film, a solo exhibition by Martin Smith, is being shown at Artsdepot in North Finchley from September 24 to September 30.
World on Film is also the name of Martin’s photography business that operates from a converted farm building at the Wrotham Business Park just outside Barnet. From here Martin publishes his work selling via galleries and online and has published a collection of his work in the book ‘Every Picture Tells a Story’.
What is particularly fascinating about Martin’s photographs is that he captures the world as it is – from the world’s least and most famous places. From the lonely desert plains to the bustle of Hong Kong, from man-made skyscrapers to the natural world, from people and animals to sea and skies; each image is as striking as the next.
It seems that Martin is most inspired by landscapes capturing both the beauty and the beasts of nature. His collection includes vivid scenes of stark trees across the African deserts to the power and force of the Victoria Falls, from lapping oceans from all shores to the frozen ice caps of the High Arctic.
One can’t help but feel captivated, if not mesmerized, by these vibrant images and one can only wonder of the journeys Martin has undertaken to capture such. But probably the most surprising thing of all is that Martin is a self taught photographer, who started out with a Russian film camera before being seduced by the technology of digital photography and subsequent powers of imagery. His work is now sought after by private collectors, art dealers and individuals, all of whom can only look on in wonder.
Article taken from October issue of Hertfordshire Life