'Untitled' by Mike McGoran

March 2022

Mike McGoran has worked as a photographer across different industries including food and still life for companies such as Marks and Spencer before setting up his own studio in Kentish Town, Camden and working in freelance advertising photography for a diverse range of clients including McLaren, Polaroid, Gore-Tex, Santander and Sony. While enjoying the challenging fast-paced nature of his commercial work, Mike has also produced work focusing on natural and rural environments, which has been exhibited in Kew Gardens, Wakehurst Place, Cité de la Mer in Dieppe, Malthouse Gallery in Lyme Regis, and the beautiful Chateau de Bosmelet in Normandy. His prints are held in British and French private collections.

This body of personal work, excerpted from a larger ongoing project, developed from years of revisiting areas and trees in different seasons and weather conditions, is influenced by Mike McGoran's childhood memories of trees from summers in rural Ireland. He has also drawn inspiration from the Japanese art of 'shinrin-yoku', which translates to 'Forest-bathing' and Dr Quing Li's ground-breaking research on its impact on the human mind, which found a reduction in stress, anxiety and depression through spending time immersed in forests.

Each photograph has been shot on analogue medium format using a Hasselblad 500C/M. This slower, more technical process compliments the stillness of the forests and natural areas photographed. The square format also allows for a more contemplative composition, encouraging the eye to wander more slowly around the fine details and textures within the images.

This exhibition has been hand printed by Melvin Cambettie Davis of London's Master Mono Darkroom. Melvin has over fifty years of experience in fine art printing. He is the author of 'Toning and Tinting made easy' (1994) and has won the Kodak Gold Award for Excellence in Printing five consecutive times. These photographs are presented as silver gelatin fibre-based prints, printed to archival standards, with fine tonal range, richness and depth.The 46x46 and 40x40 prints are limited editions.

Email: mike.mcgoran@gmail.com / Instagram: @Mike.McGoran