Jack Latham

Jack Latham was born in Wales and lives in Brighton currently. He went to Newport University in 2009 and graduated in 2012. With his university work he wanted to show process through trail and error.

His inspiration for his work came from Tim Heathington, a war photographer. Tim helped Jack by sending a letter of recommendation as his University application as he had no A levels. Because of this Jack wanted to throw himself into making shots similar to Tim’s war photography.

Jack’s first project was a portrait project about a heroin addict and clown called Ozone. He moved in with Ozone for a few months to photograph him. He didn't do as well as he hoped even though he threw himself into the project. He wanted his work to be as powerful as Tim’s photography.

He decided to move onto a project about where fights happened in the city instead of portraits. He hit a wall and found that the context was boring.

Tim died in 2011, in Jack’s second year of University. Tim’s death hit Jack hard, he experienced anxiety and depression. The experience completely changed who he was as a person and as a photographer. Jack stopped taking photographs and just walked around. “‘Never meet your idol’ I did, and he passed away’.

When he started photographing again he took portraits of transient people. A harajuku girl walked passed him in the woods on a walk so he photographed her. He was accused of hiring a model and staging the shot even though it was a complete coincidence meeting this girl.

He started a project about his Nan, she is 101 and still alive now. His Nan had to move in with his parents. A warehouse wanted to cut through her garden. Unfortunately, when she moved out, they continued with the plan. His niece was also born so this project became very personal to him.

With his current projects he wanted to incorporate things outside of the story but a reflection of his feelings.

He started the project ‘A Pink Flamingo’ in his third year of University. He travelled along the most financial route in America to Oregon. He wanted to explore the houses and model homes along the route. He called it Pink Flamingo like an ornament. Jack photographed hitchhikers along the ‘Oregon Trail’ and hitchhiked himself. There were a lot of abandoned houses along the trail. He started creating a fictional trail. He spent time talking to the subjects of his photographs, so they understood why he was photographing them. Jack thought the seaside in Oregon was similar to Brighton. There was a man who he photographed that was looking for gold. He thought this was symbolic of someone looking for a brighter future.

He started the project Sugar Paper Theories in 2014. He started this project in University, he recommended not leaving University with a finished project as it gives you something to work with. The project started with an exploration into the Icelandic missing cases of Gudmunder Einarsson aged 18 who went missing amid a heavy snow storm and Geifinnur Einarsson aged 32 who also went missing. The two men were not related. There was a lot of murder speculation about the cases. Iceland doesn't have a high crime/murder rate, so this was very unlikely.

6 complete strangers all signed saying they killed the men when they didn’t. The 6 people had Memory Distress Syndrome which is when you didn't do something but you think you did. The police were so suspicious they captured them for 200 days and water boarded, raped and tortured them. They forced them to recreate the murders. Jack asked 4 people who have been looking into the case what they think and have found.

The theory of what they thought was drawn in a diagram on sugar paper. They included archival images.

Through sources and conspiracy theories he has a context that he didn't have before he photographed places where fights happened.

A German investigator was brought over to Iceland to help as the police didn't deal with many murder cases. The way they investigated the case was by asking the 6 people questions out of chronological order. So, Jack’s book and the archived photographs in it are not in chronological order.

The diaries of one of the men who was in prison proved his innocence. Criminal psychologists discovered the mental illness and said that his diaries confirmed it.

Writings of the psychologist were very dry put next to the subjective images.

Jack doesn't usually reference of research other photographers but he does watch movies and listen to movies to influence his work.

There was no evidence of murder ever found. No DNA, bodies or blood.

Question Responses

Jack said he is tired of making work for other photographers, he wants to make his work for wider audiences like people who would go to bingo.

He recommends exploring film and music in different languages.