Martin Vallis

"To see we must forget the names of the things we're looking at"-Claude Monet

Martin Vallis studied Visual Communication at Medway College of Art and Design from 1976-79, moving to London in 1980.

After working as a Photographic Assistant to Commercial Photographer Gary Bryan for 3 years, he set up his own studio in Chelsea in 1983, that specialised in high-quality still life photography, in the areas of Advertising, Design and Editorial. Martin also shot stills on TV and Cinema commercials, primarily with directors Howard Guard and Ridley Scott (Alien/Blade Runner/Gladiator). Some of Martin’s clients included, British Airways, BMW, Volkswagen and Selfridges. His style evolved, resulting in tightly- cropped, close-up work, mostly utilising Tungsten lighting, to enhance texture and detail.

Two decades later Martin departed from commercial photography, concentrating on his own vision.

Throughout his career, Martin’s style has changed, yet there remains the ever-constant preference for simplicity of solitary objects, reflecting texture and shape: less is more. Society may spend time looking for the ‘Big Picture’ whilst missing the ‘Beauty of Simplicity’. He feels it portrays a deeply felt sense of isolation, solitude and emptine...

Studied Visual Communication Medway College of Art and Design 76-79.

Image: 'Private Eyes' (from Street Series) The Glasgow Gallery of Photography 4th-29th October 2023