Hartley Martin (United Kingdom)

Hartley Martin

Martin Hartley is a photograph who specialises in documenting the most inaccessible parts of the planet. His sustained commitment to capture the beauty of unadulterated landscapes and remote communities has taken him to some of the most isolated and challenging locations in the world.

Such photography is a race against time: when isolated communities make first contact with outsiders, traditional values are often exchanged for the trappings of modern civilization.

Any photographer intent on recording a society's way of life needs to tread a fine line between interaction and intrusion. Gaining a community's trust and friendship, by showing respect for their way of life, is essential. Photographing the hostile landscapes that these people inhabit has allowed Martin to communicate the emotions that individuals experience in these extreme locations. Being removed from the comforts associated with modern life by spending months at a time in places where the possibility of rescue is remote has enabled him to appreciate our fleeting presence on this planet.

Major Achievements

2006: Mission 1 - Top of the World. The challenge is to traverse the Arctic Ocean from Russia to Canada via the North Pole to highlight the issues that surround climate change and its world wide effects in particular on Polar regions.