Benedict Redgrove, Out of This World Photography
Born in Reading, England, Benedict Redgrove is a British visual artist and photographer who has worked with some of the biggest names in the automotive world and with NASA, capturing iconic objects in a clean, graphic light you have never seen before. A master of lighting, he isolates objects from their surroundings so that they reveal more than you ever imagined, as if he strips away the complex layers the human brain likes to lay over everything.
Who is Benedict Redgrove?
Benedict Redgrove is a photographer whose signature style separates objects from spaces drowned in visual noise, an approach reminiscent of architectural drawings. Fascinated by space exploration since the age of 11, he eventually met the giants he once followed through a black-and-white cathode ray tube TV. To make the most of the encounter he used the finest equipment, shooting on a Hasselblad 503CW and a Phase One IQ3 to capture incredible detail and print the images at giant sizes. For him, each object represents the great values of humanity: learning, improvement and exploration.
What is Benedict Redgrove's NASA project?
His most monumental work, Past and Present Dreams of the Future, is his longest to date, taking a staggering nine years to complete. Getting close to NASA is no easy feat, so the first five years were spent finding the right connections to get through their door. The series gathers 200 objects he discovered while exploring the facilities, many spotted in glassed cabinets, and it fully captures the way he likes to see the world. Launched on the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing, the project is detailed on his official website and was covered in depth by Designboom.
Beyond NASA: the European Southern Observatory
The NASA project was not his only space exploration photoshoot. A year earlier he visited the European Southern Observatory in the Atacama desert, where he observed the giant pieces of technology that act as our eyes on the skies. Once again his style shone, producing mind-shattering shots of advanced machinery, the surrounding landscape lines and even an astrophotography image that demonstrates the absolute lack of light pollution at the location.
Benedict Redgrove's automotive photography
With a project like Past and Present Dreams of the Future behind him, you might think his other work would struggle to shine, but you could not be more wrong. A great example is the Aston Martin Valkyrie photoshoot of 2017, where his simplistic vision places the car against a backdrop of geometrical lines that subtly contrast the flowing, almost natural lines of the Valkyrie. The background becomes nothing more than a quiet amplifier for the object in front, making it easy to absorb every detail.
Another stellar example is his work for Esquire, shooting the McLaren P1 and F1 at McLaren's headquarters in his signature visual language. The F1 is one of the most legendary supercars in the world, and his carefully chosen leading lines naturally guide your attention to the car, while closeups of the P1 highlight its intricate shapes yet keep the image pure and simple.
His portfolio extends far beyond this, and it is impossible to capture all the visual richness of his photoshoots in a single article, so we recommend visiting his website to discover every project and his published book of the NASA photographs.
Own a Benedict Redgrove artwork at TheArsenale
You can bring Benedict Redgrove's work home through TheArsenale. Explore our gallery collection of fine art and our wider automotive and design art collection. Signature Redgrove NASA pieces include the EMU Space Suit Helmet, the Space Shuttle Atlantis print, and the EMU Spacesuit, L.B. Johnson Space Center.
