Luxury travel company Belmond has returned as Presenting Partner of Photo London 2025, unveiling a captivating solo exhibition by American photographer Colin Dodgson and opening submissions for the second edition of its prestigious Photographic Residency.
The exhibition, titled “I Lost My Train of Thought”, presents a newly commissioned body of work captured aboard the Andean Explorer, A Belmond Train, Peru. This four-day journey through the high Andes — from Cusco to Arequipa — offered Dodgson a rare opportunity to photograph the breathtaking and often surreal Peruvian landscape from one of the highest-altitude railways in the world.
Creative Perspective
The resulting series reflects Dodgson’s signature use of analogue photography and natural light, producing intimate, hand-printed images suffused with a warm, painterly glow. Stops along the route included Lake Titicaca, the floating islands of Uro, the Colca Canyon and the high-altitude market of La Raya.
Dodgson’s attention to local details, particularly the indigenous potatoes native to Peru, adds a whimsical yet thoughtful touch, nodding to his fascination with Dutch still life painting. The work is part of Belmond Legends, a collaborative series pairing renowned photographers with iconic Belmond destinations, and will be published by Paris-based RVB Books as part of the brand’s As Seen By collection.
The exhibition also features images from Dodgson’s journey aboard the Eastern & Oriental Express in Malaysia, drawing visual parallels between train travel across continents and reinforcing Belmond’s ethos of “Slow Luxury”.
Advancing Talent
In parallel with the exhibition, Belmond has announced the opening of submissions for its 2025 Photographic Residency. Open to emerging, unrepresented photographers of any age or nationality, the residency offers a €15,000 production grant, an international exhibition, and the publication of a photobook in collaboration with RVB Books.
The initiative follows the success of the inaugural residency in 2024, which received over 800 applications from around the world. The winner, Mexican photographer Cecy Young, was selected by a distinguished jury that included Simon Baker, Carla Sozzani, Coco Capitán, Antwaun Sargent, Ekow Eshun, Matthieu Charon and Arnaud Champenois, Belmond’s Senior Vice President of Global Brand.
Belmond’s presence at Photo London underscores its commitment to contemporary photography and artistic travel storytelling, offering both established and emerging artists a platform to reimagine the world through a creative lens.
