Lily Cole and the Giant Watering Can, Northumberland, England, Tim Walker, 2004
Slow Down, Acne Paper, Tim Walker, 2009
Coco Rocha and Giant Glove, Fitzrovia, London, Tim Walker, 2006
Fashion photographer Tim Walker, in my opinion, has one of the greatest eyes for escapist and fantasy fashion photography. His work has been described as existing “outside time” of things that are “disappearing.” His work is inspired by the English countryside where he grew up arranging photo shoots (as best he could according to his imagination) in his mother’s garden. He explains that having a camera gave him purpose to travel; to walk around and photograph anything.
I’m amazed by his perception of the every day and his ability to interpret frequently used and universal themes. His images are believable because they are so meticulously executed -giant gloves, a bathroom overgrown by weeds and vines, colossal snails crawling up walls-are all acceptable as events that actually happened because of this level of handicraft. Walker credits his models for lending the authenticity to his photographs as well as shooting in a real location, claiming, “When you’re a fashion photographer everything is contrived from the start…Nothing is real. So what you’re trying to do in this fake world is to make a real moment happen. Being on location lends itself to creating a reality out of fakery.” It’s the quality of his images that elevate them from just being pretty pictures to works of art.
(Quotes from Charlotte Sinclair's British Vogue May 2008 issue feature of Tim Walker, found on artist's website)
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