Martyn Lucas

Like Henri Cartier-Bresson wrote, “For me, the camera is like a sketch book” I too use the camera to make sense and make art of the world. I grew up in England where my father, an amateur photographer, introduced me to the magic of the black and white dark room, how to compose and maximize the contrast of light and dark, and capture the evocative landscape scene. My influences are first and foremost everything I see, feel and experience. I use photography as a means of self-expression, as a means to document the world around me. I make pictures that call attention to things that other people mostly overlook. This exploration of the overlooked helps me engage more deeply with where I am in space and time. My aim is to make photographs that draw viewers into the now. Most people see the world in color: lustrous, radiant, glossy and saturated… while the world of black and white offers the basics – light and shadow falling on various surfaces, beautiful, rich and inviting shadows, geometries, lines, shapes and bold designs. My recently published work and exhibitions both in the USA and Europe, focus on the environment and what is profoundly at stake. What is at stake? The true essence – the spiritual essence, if you will – of nature’s importance that has been sidelined by politicians and business people. My work is a reconnection to the past and the immense issues facing our planet. As a photographic guide for one of the leading companies specializing in Polar Adventures, I am thrilled to share my enthusiasm and photographic skills with many professional and amateur photographers from whom I have also learned a great deal. As Charlie Parker said, “Music is your own experience, your thoughts your wisdom. If you don’t live it, it won’t come out your horn.”