“I know the world that I am painting is not a reality. It is a whim, an entertainment to provoke something in people, whether as escapism or relief.”
Tim Walker
What are your favorite types of photos? I saw some of the photos being displayed at Tim Walker: Wonderful Things at the V&A Museum and was reminded of why he is one of my favorite fashion photographers. Tim Walker: Wonderful Things at the V&A Museum is not just a retrospective of his work, but also includes ten new series of photographs influenced by the V&A’s collections. His style is instantly recognizable to me; he truly creates a fantastical world in his photographs. The famous models and actresses are simply characters in the visual fairy tales that are being displayed.
Tim Walker stated above that he is indeed creating another world in print – it is an exaggerated version of the world in which the viewer can escape. It made me think about my own style of photography also. I gravitate towards what I consider beautiful – flowers, architecture, and natural scenes. It isn’t surreal at all. But it is also a snippet of what I see, albeit the more beautiful side. In a sense, my photos are an escape into the lovelier aspects of my life too. This goes into the whole argument of whether Instagram photos truly reflect real life. I’ll openly say that they only represent one aspect of my life. But I’ve never been one to overshare anyway, even with my closest friends. I’m also aware that these photos only tell one story of many. So while I live my relatively ordinary life (though sometimes in wonderful settings), I’m happy to share and consume photos of people in lovelier places and times.
Have a lovely week!
So funny I was actually just perusing my Tim Walker Pictures book the other day and marveling at the incredible worlds he always creates with his imagery. He’s always been a favorite of mine for that reason. I would love to see this exhibit!
I love the kind of photography that is mysterious and transports you to fantasy. It’s the kind of photos I’d never in a million years be capable of creating myself! Tim Walker does fantasy and dreamworlds so well. Insta is definitely a prettier version of our lives. I know myself I definitely try to paint a better version of my own world. And I know a lot of others do the same too
Sxx
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