The renowned ariel shot of Edinburgh. (Image: Aly Wight)
Free and open to the public until April 19, the exhibition features more than 100 photographs and archive items documenting Buckham’s life and career.
Among the highlights is the original camera used to capture the celebrated aerial view of Edinburgh in the 1920s, which his grandsons were able to see alongside the finished image.
Richard and John Buckham with their grandfather’s camera. (Image: Aly Wight)
The exhibition offers an insight into Buckham’s daring approach to photography, revealing the risks he took to capture dramatic aerial scenes and the pioneering darkroom techniques he developed.
Visitors can see how he often worked from an open cockpit, at times with one leg tied to the seat as he leaned out to take photographs.
Alfred G. Buckham, Edinburgh, about 1920. National Galleries of Scotland. Purchased 1990. (Image: Richard and John Buckham)
Scotland played a major role in Buckham’s work, with photographs of landmarks including St Andrews, Linlithgow Palace and the Wallace Monument on display.
The Forth Bridge, one of his most frequent subjects, also features prominently.
Alfred G. Buckham, RAF Turnhouse Christmas Card, 1918. (Image: National Galleries of Scotland. Gift of the Bartholomew Family, Edinburgh, 2022)
It appeared in one of Buckham’s earliest composite photographs and on the 1918 RAF Turnhouse Christmas card, both of which are included in the exhibition.
Born in London, Buckham joined the Royal Naval Air Service in 1916, combining his early aviation experience with a passion for photography.
Buckham survived nine air crashes during his career, with one leaving him with a serious throat injury that brought his military service to an end.
The exhibition also explores his work in Scotland and South America, showing how travel and experimentation shaped some of his most celebrated images.