Statement by Robert J Leighton
"We are all blessed with our destiny the day we were born.
My destiny has no doubt been to relate to what I see through the camera lens, this is impossible without light.
Great moments of our every day existence is the dawn light, observing this light, clean - clear - and pure, not corrupted by atmospheric interludes of industrial and commercial pollution, and being able to capture these moments of special inspiration as a photographic record, yet by the same token at the end of the day, by the warm atmosphere of evening light, we are able to record the same scene in a completely different way.
Our lives are all governed by that truly magical moment in time (if we are lucky) of light and the perception of that light into a picturesque record (on film or other means) by the use of that "Magic Box" called a camera!
It is not what device you use to capture these moments but how you perceive the light and adapt it for that preconceptual image hanging on the gallery wall.
What we see in this world is an abstraction of light, shade and perspective - for us to misconceive what we see is to break the cameras strongest point - it's authenticity."
C.V.
Robert J Leighton was born in 1948, the youngest of a musical and artistic family. He was educated in Reigate, Surrey. After three years military service he studied phototography at Brighton College of Art under the tuition of Bill Whittaker, where he obtained distinction and was later awarded Associate of the Royal Photographic Society.
For many years Leighton worked in graphic design, social and fashion photography before going on to specialise in Industrial and Commercial, working for corporate clients such as Gulf Oil, Tarmacadam, BNFL, Nirex etc.
He later moved to the Lake District where he ran his own school of photography as well as lecturing at local art colleges within the area.
It was here within the Lake District that he was able to pursue his real passion, that of black and white landscape photography and naturalistic studies, greatly influenced by the greats such as Ansel Adams and Edward Weston.
Leighton now lives in Dumfriesshire where he found inspiration to dedicate himself fully to the work in this field, particuarly Scotland, also travelling intensely to European and Worldly destinations, including the USA, France, Switzerland and Italy.
Equipment
Large Format: | Ebony RW45 Field Camera with .75,90,150,300mm lenses |
Sinar P 5x4 View Camera with the above lenses plus 355mm with copal digital shutter plus a 10x8 format back |
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Medium Format: | Hasselblad with 50,80.150mm lenses + X/Pan double format |
35mm | Nikon f3(with MD4 motordrive) Nikon F100 +various lenses |
Digital | Nikon D200 + various lenses |
Accessories | Lee Filter Systems Exclusively, Pentax Digital Spotmeter |
Film | Fuji Velvia 50, 100, Acros 100, Ilford FP4, Berrger 100 |