Geoff Chaplin is a British born artist brought up in Leicestershire, in the Midlands, and currently living and working in Hokkaido, Japan.
When he was a child his father - a painter - used to take him sketching and painting in the countryside. This installed from
an early age an understanding of composition, colour and graphic elements as well as building his observational skills and
sparking a lifelong interest in nature. In his school years he built a large-format camera (using glass photographic plates) to
photograph a comet and the night sky, and has been using cameras ever since.
"I studied maths at Cambridge then Oxford and did post-doctoral research in astro-physics. My dream was to become a research scientist.
That didn't happen but on the way I picked up a training in scientific photography which reinforced my interest
in photography generally and art." Family pressures forced him to take a job in finance.
While working at major investment banks such as HSBC, Nomura and Mizuho he also had a
semi-professional interest in photography.
In his photographic work he continues to use large and ultra-large format cameras -
the type with bellows, a black cloth cover and a focussing screen on the back - as well as medium and 35mm format
film and digital cameras, and in addition he uses lensless "pinhole" cameras.
Geoff exhibits internationally. His themes relate to human presence and to non-permanence.
Subject matter includes decaying buildings and materials particularly rusting steel panels (the "Moon Star" series),
buildings in Hokkaido, Venice and London, and conceptual series such as "Venice: Into Dreams" and "Traces Remain".
This site showcases some examples of his work - either original digital files or digital copies of the artwork.
A selection of original prints are on display in the Hokkaido gallery, and there is an
annual themed exhibition in London, together with regular exhibitions in Japan, the UK and elsewhere.
