P
eter Latham takes the
‘Art of Photography’ to
a whole new size and level.
I discovered Peter’s work
at the Mosaic Gallery in
Whitianga. As I peered into ‘Deep Forest’, the
detail was so fine I felt I could reach in and touch
those feathery ferns.
I learned that not only does Peter create high
resolution wall sized artworks, he can have them
printed directly onto glass like the photos of an
Auckland corporate office above. Peter has been
told that people are blown away when they see it,
and when people are in the room, it looks like
they’re literally ‘at the beach’!
Big is BIG! One measures over 17 metres wide,
still at high res. Peter uses one of three glass
printing machines worldwide (the only one in NZ)
that prints at high resolution direct to glass (see
machine, left).
The shed image
shown below right
is his “Days Gone
By” printed
2490mm high x
1820mm wide on
glass. I wonder
how many have
tried to walk right
into the shed? (Note the red office door to
compare scale.)
Peter explained, “I use a sophisticated stitching
program for joining multiple images, a bit like
assembling a big jigsaw puzzle. And after the
basic image is created, I may spend weeks
revisiting the image, dodging highlights and
burning in shadows to make sure that the final
image matches what my eyes really saw.” For, as
Peter admits, even the most advanced cameras
cannot recreate what we actually see.
“I constantly invest as much as I can into
searching new locations and producing new
pieces,” he explains, “keeping my galleries
topped up with the latest and greatest. It’s costly
to travel about to search out images in the first
place, equipment costs are massive, and I insist
on using only the finest materials.”
Peter says “weeks of shooting hundreds of
frames might result in only a few final prints.”
This meticulous care extends to the creation of
his gallery prints, using HP Vivera inks, rated for
250 years indoor display. “I use fine art paper,”
Peter explains, “100% cotton rag, archival
canvas, and a U.V. protective varnish. This gives
me the confidence to state that my work will
endure for generations.” Peter prints a limited
number of each work, then the image is retired.
FOR THE CAMERA GEEK
What kind of equipment does this progressive
digital photographer use to produce these
awesome images? Of course his camera and
lenses are pro quality (60Mp Phase One Digital
Back + Mamiya AFD 645 camera)
.
Carol
Wright, managing editor, does a lot of the
Photoshop work for the magazine, including
reclaiming faded historic images. Ever
geek-minded, she wondered just how LARGE
Peter could go. “He must have one heck of a
high meg camera sensor.”
Peter sent her to the ‘Meticulous Craft’ page on
his website. “Wow! My camera has a five meg
sensor and his camera creates a 179Mb image.
And as I suspected when he stitches several
together to create his panoramas, an image
could be several gigabytes!”
Peter shares that one image may have over 100
overlapping images assembled together, for a
final size of ...7 gigabytes! He is dealing with a
current enquiry for a Russian home, where the
client is seeking a 25 metre wide by 3 metre
high, high resolution panorama of NZ. Imagine
that on your wall!
Diversifying from his renowned landscapes,
Peter has created a series of dynamic images
that form the backdrop of a new state-of-the-
art Euroglass showroom in Parnell, Auckland to
open late June. These include an incredible 12m
wide wildflowers scene, which forms a glass
balustrade for an outdoor balcony. Saves water-
ing the plants, and provides year round colour!
Other installations include an enormous
Macrocarpa hedge
printed onto glass
bi-fold doors that
closed, can cover a
cluttered kitchen bench
(see right). Or a black
and white marble that
Peter photographed for
a bathroom wall. “It
looks stunning, way
better than the original
stone”, Peter says. “I
will be expanding this
range to include
textural pieces like toi toi, flax, and bamboo.”
He tells us decorative glass is huge in Europe,
but he is out to raise the standard and “show
them how we do it downunder.” Photography
of this size and detail just hasn’t been done
like this before.
Although living in Auckland these days, Peter’s
roots are firmly planted in Whitianga where he
grew up (his father was local doctor, Wally
Latham). He still calls Mercury Bay home,
maintaining a strong link to the area through
Mosaic Gallery which he visits regularly.
Peter offers an art
consultancy service,
visiting potential
clients at home, to
ensure buyers of a
perfect fit – the choice
of specific print, size
and framing can be
customized to suit the
room. See page 15
for details and go
online to view his
stunning portfolio and
learn more about his
services:
-
TD & CW
PETER LATHAM
TACKLES
FINE ART
PHOTOGRAPHY IN A...
50
COROMANDEL LIFE LATE AUTUMN/WINTER
BIG
BIG
WAY!
