| Born in 1955, Langley has been passionate about photography since the age of twelve, when he first began printing his own pictures. Growing up in Brighton, England, he would prowl the promenades in search of images, observing the seas in all their moods. Photography was deeply entwined with his personal development, a profoundly private activity. At the time, he felt that a career in photography would be impossible without compromise and loss of integrity, choosing instead to study Theoretical Physics as another way of examining the nature of reality. After graduating, Langley moved to Cambridge where he worked for many years in computing, with photography only as a hobby, until in 1985 he finally began to offer his photographs for public sale. These proved so successful that he has since devoted himself full-time to his photography, regularly exhibiting his sepia and black and white photographs in Cambridge. Langley’s work also appears in his book, "Cambridge Mists", and in an exclusive range of cards and calendars. In addition to those of Cambridge, Langley also has extensive portfolios of London, Oxford and the English Lake District. Inspired by the teachings of Taoism, Langley regards himself and his camera as an instrument by which the Universe can look back at itself. In becoming absorbed in the process of seeing, he experiences a feeling of communion with the World. This is reflected in a spiritual quality to much of his work, a sense of timeless mystery, of somehow ‘seeing beyond.’ These ethereal qualities are accentuated by Langley’s distinctive use of misty conditions, and of infra-red film. Langley prints all his own work, relishing the calm of the darkroom. Drawing inspiration from Kahil Gibrain’s phrase ‘work is love made visible,’ he dedicates about eight hours to getting each new photograph as perfect as he can make it. Derek Langley currently resides in Cambridge, England, with his wife Jenny who manages the publication of his images and books. |
