Renowned photographer Mark Steinmetz has built his career capturing the sublime poetry found in everyday moments across America. His stunning black and white photographs, spanning four decades of work, reveal the gentle humanity in ordinary scenes through quietly powerful imagery that transforms fleeting, unexpected moments into images of timeless beauty.

Steinmetz's first UK solo exhibition, "Taken from Light," is currently running at David Hill Gallery in London from September 18 to December 21, featuring many previously unshown images. The exhibition showcases his evocative depictions of life primarily in Georgia, Tennessee, and Connecticut, celebrating his ability to find the extraordinary within the mundane.

The earliest work featured in the show dates back to 1983, when a 22-year-old Steinmetz, fresh out of college, moved to Los Angeles for a year. During this formative period, he had the opportunity to photograph alongside the legendary street photographer Garry Winogrand. "I moved to Los Angeles in 1983 when I was 22 years old and stayed for a year," Steinmetz recalls. "I came to know the great photographer Garry Winogrand who was living there, and we went out to photograph together on occasion."

Steinmetz's artistic philosophy centers on creating compelling rather than conventionally beautiful images. Describing a 1983 photograph of a woman in Beverly Hills, he explains, "My motive in photographing has never been to take a beautiful picture, but rather to make an interesting one. There was something mysterious about this woman stepping out into the light in front of an open shop door, with her hands opening a folded pamphlet, and eyes shut."

The photographer's work extensively documents American youth culture, from summer camps to street scenes. His 1985 image from Shelton, Connecticut, taken with a 35mm Leica in a small working-class town, reflects his understanding of American teenage dreams. "I went to high school in the middle of the US in Iowa. My friends drove Camaros and Firebirds, and we listened to Bruce Springsteen, dreaming of driving off to some better future. This young woman though looks content with where she is at," he notes.

Many of Steinmetz's most memorable images come from his extensive documentation of summer camps. His photographs of swimming lessons capture children in natural settings, as he explains: "The summer camps I visited for my project did not have pools; the swimming took place in lakes, in nature." One particularly striking image shows a girl floating weightlessly in water, embodying a sense of peaceful suspension that characterizes much of his work.

The photographer's keen eye for human connection is evident in his 1989 image from Chicago's Montrose Pier, which captures a tender moment between father and child along Lake Michigan's shores. "I loved the soft light and the comforting gesture of the child resting his head in the small of his father's back," Steinmetz describes. "Photography is a lot like fishing, and as they say, 'A bad day of fishing is better than a good day at work.'"

Steinmetz has also documented significant cultural events while maintaining his focus on intimate human moments. His 1994 photograph from Freaknik, a spring break event for Black college students in downtown Atlanta, demonstrates his ability to find quiet beauty amid chaos. "Although the external event was rowdy, the image looks like it could have been made any day of the week," he observes, noting that his contact sheets from similar events like Mardi Gras in New Orleans rarely show obvious indicators of the celebrations happening beyond the frame.

One of the exhibition's most poignant images comes from a 1995 summer camp in Hendersonville, North Carolina, capturing campers in their final moments together after staying up all night before departure. "Many of the campers had been bickering to one another all summer long (or in general were displaying spoiled behaviour), but in the last moments of summer camp, they found the depth of their love," Steinmetz explains.

The cover image of his book "Past K-Ville" features Carey, a ceramics student from the art department where Steinmetz taught photography in Georgia. The 1996 portrait, titled "Carey in Full Sun," was taken in Farmington, Georgia, and represents his ability to capture both vulnerability and strength in his subjects. Steinmetz photographed Carey multiple times and even created a Super 8 film featuring her as the sole character, sitting motionless in a rowboat on a still pond as rain begins to fall.

Throughout his career, Steinmetz has published several acclaimed books, including "Summer Camp," "The Players" (focusing on little league baseball), "Summertime" (featuring American kids and teenagers from the late 1980s and early 1990s), and "Carnival" (collecting decades of fair photography). His work has earned recognition from major institutions, with the late John Szarkowski, longtime director of photography at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, praising his ability to capture complex social dynamics within single frames.

The current London exhibition offers viewers a comprehensive look at Steinmetz's unique vision, demonstrating how his patient, observational approach has consistently revealed the profound beauty hidden within America's everyday moments across multiple generations and diverse communities.