Martin Smith

Martin Smith's photographic art captures the beauty to be found in the most unlikely places. Fascinated by barren landscapes both urban and rural, his photographs of central Australia's decaying industrial sites and London's neglected, graffiti-covered buildings exude a raw, gritty quality. Wreckage of various kinds feature prominently in his work; his huge prints of rusting trucks, twisted signs, and vast, dusty panoramic landscapes casting an eerie light on a forgotten world. Martin Smith was first inspired to photograph landscapes with his first, Russian, camera thirty years ago. His early work focuses on the UK and Europe but as he travelled further afield he became and remains more fascinated by the exotic and the unseen. In the mid-nineties he developed an interest in panoramas and large-scale panoramic prints, particularly of urban London, are a powerful feature of his portfolio. In his recent work, he has embraced the power of digital imaging, adding a hint of the unexpected to his barren landscapes.