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.”
In 2012, Neil Latham was driving through the horse country of New York State. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the muscular shoulder of a horse standing by a fence. He hit the brakes and stared—something about the horse’s pose, a mixture of great strength and elegance, struck him. Then he reached for his camera, wanting to be able to revisit that moment again.
© Neil Latham / American Thoroughbred
This singular image started an obsession. Latham spent the next three years traveling across the United States photographing Thoroughbreds. He slowly gained the trust of horse owners and trainers, convincing them to let him photograph their priceless racehorses. Latham sketched ideas and explored the best lighting and photographic technique to use. He lugged film, a large-format camera, and a 2...