Following two-month back-to-back sculpture exhibitions, Siddhartha Art Gallery recently kicked off a photography exhibition, Spectrum, by retired diplomat and photographer Laurence Kent Jones on Tuesday at its premises in Babarmahal.

The exhibition was inaugurated by Michael G Gonzales, Deputy Chief of Mission Embassy of the United States of America.

Photographer Jones who has been living in Nepal for two years now, but is exhibiting for the first time said, “Both the encouragement and reception have been phenomenal.”

Except for a couple, most of the 18 photographs, both portrait and landscape, on display specialise in black and white photography. “While taking photos in infrared was technically challenging, I chose to go with it for it allowed me to play with the lighting,” said Jones, adding, “Infrared because it’s beyond the red part of the spectrum visible to us. Any digital camera can be modified to take pictures in infrared but there is a certain cost and the camera cannot then be used for standard coloured photography. I made the leap six years and I am very happy with where infrared has taken me.” 

The photographs feature special sites and heritages alongside valleys across Nepal, Bhutan and India.

Speaking during the inaugural event, Sangeeta Thapa, Director of the gallery said, “I was sceptical when Laurence first approached for the exhibition, but when I saw his photographs I was in awe.” She also pointed out that Jones’ works, which come with utmost precision and clarity, speak for his passion and dedication in photography.

The photographs on display are for sale. The event will continue till March 6.