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Martin Smith
Martin Smith combined his passion for photography with a successful career in the financial services industry for many years. In 2005 he committed himself to the art of photography.
Although he has worked in six continents and more than sixty countries, he is best known for his work closer to home. Late at night and early in the morning, he records London and its ever-changing skyline - a capital in a dynamic period in history. Prior to the global pandemic he also spent much of his time photographing other world cities, an activity on hold for the foreseeable future. Especially in these circumstances he considers himself fortunate to have London on his doorstep.
In 2018 the Master Photographers Association awarded Martin a Fellowship for his 'Colours of London' portfolio - the first time a fellowship has ever been granted for a collection of London images.
Route 66, The Mother Road. Taking in eight states, the route once epitomised the American dream. In the forties and fifties it’s travellers would journey from Chicago in the east to Los Angles in the west. The reason for the journey was the journey itself. The image of Route 66 was its cars, hotels, diners, gas stations and the people that made the experience remarkable.
Roll forward more than half a century and things are now very different. In the seventies and eighties the US interstate roads by passed the towns and cities along route 66, which together with the road itself, fell into decline. Today Route 66 exists only in sections, but those sections are really worth visiting. Much of the route has become the interstates i-55 and i-40, roads which are also worth travelling. Many of the towns and cities from the heyday are still there. Some are in better condition than others but all are worthy of a look. And whilst much may now be faded it is still the cars, hotels, diners, and gas stations, not forgetting the people that continue to make the experience of today fascinating. Perhaps in a different way to how it was all those years ago, but a journey along route 66 is still unforgettable.