Interpreting Narrative: The Great Gatsby: Tim Walker

Tim Walker is an British fashion photographer. He has enhanced the readers of Vogue month by month over the decades. His unmistakable style is to create characters and stories through his photography, and has recently began to make moving films.

Tim Walker

"Walker’s photographs provide the focus of the exhibition, but the camera, he claims, ‘is simply a box put between you and what you want to capture’. Everything in Walker’s pictures is specially constructed and in a glimpse behind the mechanics, there are installations and a selection of the extraordinary props and models on show: giant grotesque dolls for Italian Vogue and an almost life-size replica of a doomed Spitfire fighter plane." - Somerset House, Visual Arts.

STORYBOARDING

I have chosen to look at the work of Tim Walker to link with my storybording. The idea of my final images is to create a series of 3 fashion photos representing emotion through a story. This is something that Tim Walker is known for so it is interesting to research the work of this photographer and be inspired for my own shoot.

An example of Tim Walker's amazing story of photographs is his Alice in Wonderland inspired series for Vogue Italia 2010. Its one of my favourite Tim Walker exhibitions. Set in what seems like an old, abandoned mansion, models Stella Tennant and Imogen Morris Clarke pose gracefully around ladders and drapes. The editorial series was named Lady Grey - its lovely.

The images are truly incredible! You can instantly see the resemblance to Alice in Wonderland, for example by noticing the rabbit or the little and large comparisons. The mood expresses the world of fantasy, creativity and mysterious well being. The dresses are exaggerated and flowing, showing a never ending fantasy world. The composition, makeup, styling and general idea of each shoot is breath taking - well done Tim Walker!

Humpty Dumpty Inspired Photoshoot:

Another photoshoot by Tim Walker inspired by the world of fantasy. Taken from the nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty, Walker has expressed the childrens classic through they eyes of the fashion world, using props, styling and best of all; movement:

Somerset House held a free exhibition for Tim Walker's work through from 18th October 2012 - 27 January 2013, supported by Mulberry. The exhibition included imagery, but also the real life props that Walker used within some of his photography. Somerset House explained:

"Tim Walker is one of the most visually exciting and influential fashion photographers working today. Extravagant in scale and ambition and instantly recognisable for their eye-opening originality, Walker’s photographs dazzle with life, colour and humour... Walker’s photographs provided the focus of the exhibition, but the camera, he claims, ‘is simply a box put between you and what you want to capture’. Everything in Walker’s pictures is specially constructed and in a glimpse behind the mechanics, there were installations and a selection of the extraordinary props and models on show: giant grotesque dolls for Italian Vogue and an almost life-size replica of a doomed Spitfire fighter plane."

Spitfire, British Vogue 2009, Tim Walker Photography

His photo shoots begin to resemble the film set: hair and make-up artists, fashion stylists and costume fitters, model makers, set designers, builders, producers and painters, prop suppliers and a cast of models playing out imagined roles. At the centre is Walker harnessing creative and technical talents to conjure up the harmonious whole in a singular picture.

Other examples of Tim Walker's work: