Photography News Issue 62

Photography News | Issue 62 | photographynews.co.uk

Interview 18

TimFlach Animal photography PN grabbed a fewmoments with one of the UK’s leading animal photographers at the opening of his exhibition at the Wex Photo Video Gallery in London

Photography News: Could you start by introducing yourself to PN readers? Tim Flach: I’m based in Shoreditch, London, where I have my studio. I’ve been fortunate in not only starting out as a commercial photographer, working with lots of teams in campaigns and directing moving images, but also finding my work increasingly exhibited in public spaces. I've produced a number of books, from dogs and horses to now, endangered species. I feel privileged that I have experienced these different worlds. PN: How would you categorise yourself as a photographer? TF: I’d probably describe myself as an animal photographer rather than a wildlife photographer. A lot of my interest is in the subject of animals, rather than necessarily capturing the last so-and-so in whatever forest. I am someone who is very interested in how we connect with animals and how we transform their images into meaning – how we best connect to events in the natural world. PN: What has taken you from commercial work toworkingwith animals in the studio? TF: Animals have always been an element of my work, even at the very beginning of my career. As I began to establish myself, I was able to organise shoots that I was leading. That was probably the shift really, where I started to develop my own visual language (if you want to call it that) or a certain style. But that wasn’t my objective – it was really the opportunity to meet these animals and see what was possible. What does seemtohappenasyoumeetmore people closer to the subject – particularly in the natural world where you are a witness – is that it becomes inevitable you start addressing certain debates, otherwise you wouldn't have any heart or soul.

PN: Do you always shoot in a studio? TF: My first book was about horses, and although I did very stylised images on a black background, I also visited icebergs in Iceland, Mongolia, underwater and many different habitats. So, there has always been a duality inmywork; a relationship between the adventure of going out and finding animals, and presenting a style of imagery that shows an emotional connection with these animals. Until now, I have always sought to create a studio feel. That’s partly because a lot of evidence shows that if we present animals in a way that is more, say, human, the images are more likely to engage us emotionally. If we feel there is kinship and a sense of empathy, we are more likely to care. I think we need to connect people to nature. PN: What inspired the concept of your book, Endangered ? TF: Well, it has been a journey. My first book was on horses, then I did one on dogs, then More than Human . I also had a number of images in a book about rainforests, and that took me to Borneo and the Amazon. When you speak to people and realise their relationship with the natural world, it becomes apparent that, with the nature of the times we live in, we have to think slightly differently going forward. PN: How long did the project take? TF: Endangered was done over a couple of years. Some images (but not that many) were brought in from another project. I had photographs of certain animals and it didn’t seem appropriate to go and do those animals again. I had to go and explore other species. The project was realised over 20 months of shooting, with another six months of research, which involved asking other people – much more knowledgeable than myself – what should be in the book. When you do a project, it is a journey. It's a journey of discovery, which is an adventure, because that is the exciting bit. Adventures come with the uncertainty of failure: that’s what an adventure is, really. It’s not an adventure unless you have challenges, and the challenges mean you don’t know if you’re always going to get the images you want. Usually in the end it works out, but there are always uncertainties. PN: Did you pre-visualise the images you wanted to take? TF: In any type of work I do (and I’m sure this is the same for many photographers), I have to have a strategy or a framework. But one of the most challenging things is being present when you are taking photographs – noticing things that you can’t, in a sense, reason or predict. Those things can surprise you and I think when something surprises you, you think ‘oh

Evidence shows that if we present animals in a way that is more human, the images are more likely to engage us emotionally

this is something really special here’. You can’t quite rationalise it, but it is really important not to be locked into the ideas of what you’d thought you’d get. Sometimes, it is important to be able to see something that comes along and surprises you. So, there’s a definite need to be present and to observe. I think it was Picasso who said ‘I don’t seek, I find’, and I can relate to that. After shooting, when I have the images, I can get a reaction and I’m always interested in that. I don't mind if they like it – or don't like it. What I’m interested in is how different people find different meanings in images. PN: Did you seek advice from experts when it came to image and species selection? TF: Conservation scientists use the phrase ‘ecological drivers’, which are all the ways

in which we anthropogenically change and shape the planet. In the natural world, we have evasive species, climate change, human/animal conflict, land-use change – it goes on and on like this. When I actually started figuring out what a book on endangered species would entail, what I wanted to do was to capture a sense of wonderment inspired by the natural world. I wanted to capture the sense of characters and personalities in the stories that need to be told and that represent those ecological drivers. If you have right candidate to represent these drivers, then it is far more likely that the viewer will engage with the content. They will be drawn to either the cuteness, fierceness or vulnerability of an animal and then discover the story.

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