CHARLIE WAITE

01 TUSCAN SUMMER

A slow shutter speed has caught the slight movement of wildflowers in the breeze on a July day near Caliano, Tuscany.

Lens Canon EF 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L IS USM

Exposure 1/20 sec, f/29, ISO250

RY TO imagine what it must feel like to prepare a retrospective exhibition of your work, and the sheer difficulty of deciding on just 52 photos from more than 40 years of negatives, transparencies and digital files. Now, think about the time and expense of printing these images to exhibition standard, the cost of framing and the tedium of hanging, then pricing the works, publicising the event and organizing the guest list for the opening. As the clock ticks down to launch, the excitement and tension is palpable.

Then the unexpected happens… You can’t open at all because a global pandemic forces the world into lockdown. This is exactly what happened to landscape photographer Charlie Waite and Luke Whitaker, owner of the Bosham Gallery in West Sussex. Charlie is no stranger to exhibitions, but what befell his latest show, Hidden Works, scheduled to open to a packed house on March 27, was something he could never have imagined. But rather than shut the door and despair, the exhibition went ahead – online. Whitaker and Waite thought that if the whole nation had to work from home, using Zoom and other online conferencing tools to hold meetings, then why not show a ‘virtual’ photo exhibition via the gallery website? So, thanks to a crisis and modern technology, Hidden Works remains very much on view and, in many respects, the only show in town…

02 SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE

Charlie was able to get a different take on the much-photographed landmark by using the outdoor seats as a lead-in line and waiting for the moment when a solitary figure walked into frame.

03 LONDON EYE

Although better known for his landscapes, Charlie