Neil Latham

Born 1969 in Warwickshire, England. Lives and works in New York.

Neil Latham is a British commercial and fine art photographer. From an early age, Latham was exposed to photography by his parents, who always carried their 35mm cameras. After the passing of his mother, Latham’s work took a major shift into a more personal and serious vein. In a tribute to his late mother, Latham’s most recent project focuses on the thoroughbred. His vision was to remember his mother through the beauty of the thoroughbred whose temperament and striking features recalled memories of his mother’s physical presence.

Over the last three years, Latham has traveled across the United States to photograph thoroughbreds. Convincing horse owners and trainers to let him photograph their multimillion-dollar racehorses, he crisscrossed the country loaded with equipment in the hope of capturing the essence of the thoroughbred. Latham spent months sleeping in the groom dorms at Saratoga Race Course and camping in a tent at Kentucky Horse Park. He photographed Thoroughbred legends such as A.P. Indy, Curlin, Tapit, Rachel Alexandra, and Ghostzapper and retired racing legend Zenyatta, with whom Latham shared a special connection.

Latham scheduled shoots at horse farms, experimenting with photographic equipment, light, exposure, large-scale sets, and endless technicalities to achieve his creative vision. Latham used only natural lighting, creating a further set of technical challenges, and worked on film with medium- and large-format cameras. “To portray true essence, the image has to be truthful…film gives a softness and subtlety which enhanced the emotional connection.”

This three year project resulted in over 6,000 photographs of these magnificent animals.

“As an artist, I’m intrigued by the juxtaposition of strength and power with beauty and fragility, the illustration of determination and character through taut muscles and coursing veins after a fast-paced run, the wild spirit of a charging herd. I sense my mother’s presence whenever I look through the photographs. I’ve never felt as deeply about anything as I have about this work.”

This remarkable body of work will be on view to the public for the first time in June, 2016 at Steven Kasher Gallery.