Les Latchman, Photographer, Filmmaker and Writer - Community Spotlight!
We've been celebrating some of our wonderful Community Member’s 2024 successes!
We caught up with photographer, filmmaker and writer Les Latchman, who joined us at The 2024 Summit as a delegate and to document the event, to find out more about his year.
The Summit is an event organised by ATE founder Soraya Abdel-Hadi and Marketing Director Phil Young. It brings together people of colour working on access and representation in the UK outdoors for a weekend of sharing their activities and experiences with each other.
How did you end up working at the 2024 Summit?
I came across The Summit through the All The Elements Instagram page which I’d followed for some time as I was a fan of their work in increasing diversity and representation in the outdoors space.
The post was advertising for a temporary position of social media manager for the event and even though I now run a production business, my past life as a marketer found it intriguing enough to have a nosy. Within the remit I saw there was the responsibility to photograph and document the event which got me excited. So I decided to reach out to Soraya and Phil (The Summit founders) and pitch my services to take on that specific responsibility. I recall at the time I was leading a photoshoot in Bali, but we managed to arrange a call and the rest was history as they say.
What was your experience at The Summit?
The Summit was fantastic for a multitude of reasons. Firstly I found it created a safe space for people from all walks of life to come together on a shared mission to increase diversity and representation within the outdoor space. The organised and spontaneous conversations we had throughout were riveting, powerful and much needed. It felt like such an honour to be able to come together in this way and hold space for such important conversations. The gorgeous setting of Eryri National Park combined with the expert led activities of trail running, hiking and mountain biking enabled the group to organically connect and collaborate on creative solutions for challenges within our fields.
I thoroughly enjoyed not only photographing the weekend, but also attending as a delegate and having the space to share my story and genuinely connect with some amazing people. I had manifested both working within the outdoors space and with my favourite brand Patagonia, and so I'm super grateful for Soraya and Phil for bringing me on board.
Did The Summit lead to further opportunities?
Since the Summit I have gone on to collaborate with the RSPB who also attended. This work is still under NDA but what I can tell you is that it's something that is bringing to life the actions that we spoke about at the Summit. This is such a great feeling because off the back of attending such a promising event in The Summit - you always hope that the actions are then followed through - in the case of the RSPB this is proven to be true. I’m really proud to be a part of this monumental project which I hope I can share more on in the spring of 2025. Watch this space!
What feels like the biggest achievement or celebration for you this year?
This may not be the answer that you are expecting, but my trip to America in August proved to be the highlight of my year not just professionally but also personally.
From a personal perspective, I made this trip to the states solely to look after my family who are not in the best of health. This is the first time I’ve ever done anything to this extent as selfless as this, yet it proved to be the most rewarding two weeks of my life. At this time, I was also officially diagnosed with ADHD, which has been life changing and connected so many pieces which have puzzled me for so long.
From a professional perspective, after leaving my family, I went on to successfully pitch and land my biggest job of the year, to plan, lead and execute a huge content shoot across the states. I shot in 11 locations with a variety of talent across Chicago, New Orleans, Boston and New York. It was a mammoth undertaking, but I'm really proud to have led the project and pulled off finding talent, planning logistics, creating photos, videos and overcoming all challenges on the ground to deliver some of my best work yet. When I look back at where I was a year ago, working a job I wasn't enjoying, I'm really proud of the achievements I've had since, but more importantly the life I've built which gives me the flexibility to make trips such as these which are both personally and professionally rewarding.
What is next for you in 2025?
Going into 2025 I hope to discover and create more opportunities to use my lens and the power of storytelling as a force for good.
I hope to work with more people, brands and communities that are looking to contribute positively to the shared mission of increasing diversity and representation within the outdoors space, not just in front of the lens, but also behind it as well.
I hope to learn more about my ADHD to be kinder to myself and harness the positives such as creativity and hyperfocus to produce my best work yet.
Lastly, I hope to find my voice more and be an example for other POC creatives working within these spaces and open up opportunities to bring more POC through the door with me.
To find out more about Les and follow his work, check out his website and follow him on Instagram.
To find out more about The Summit, visit The Summit website or follow the event on Instagram.