There will always be a handful of creative people whose work we’ll be drawn to. Though they may never know it, they’re the ones we look to for inspiration. These creatives have found success, making us believe in the power of hard work, passion and perseverance. They’re the photographers, artists, and designers we aspire to be.
British fashion photographer Tim Walker will always be that person to me. You’ve probably seen Walker’s work grace the pages of one very famous fashion magazine. At the age of 25, Walker shot his very first editorial for Vogue. Fast forward sixteen year later and Walker is still entrancing readers with his extravagant staging and his ability to craft unbelievably amazing scenes.
When teNeues, one of the leading book publishers in the areas of photography, design, and lifestyle, asked which book I’d like to share with you next, I immediately thought of Tim Walker’s Pictures. (A classic!) This 368 page hardcover retails for a whopping $125. In it, you won’t just find his gorgeous photos, you’ll also get a privileged glimpse into his artistic process.
From the book: “Compiled by Walker himself, this collection of photo essays and personal pictures as well as scrapbook pages of collages and preliminary studies take us deep into his creative methods. In addition, there is a fascinating array of quotes from Walker, his assistants, fashion editors and models. This volume showcases some of the most imaginative art produced today.”
Here’s one of my favorite quotes in the book’s foreword:
“When I think about it, photographs, to me are really a kind of dream state. It’s not about a good dream, or a bad dream…it’s more that your day hazes and your mind drifts toward only being concerned by your imaginings…and, as you tour your imagination you want to photograph what you are seeing…BUT…the only way you can do this is by BELIEF…really utterly/absolutely/passionately firmly believing…you see, you are so very keen to be able to show what you’ve seen that somehow it becomes true, and the pictures you end up taking becomes a souvenir, a piece of proof brought back all the way from the daydream.” – Tim Walker, London, 2008
So, while we still have two other contest going on (see YPOC’s Visual Storytellers and Tattly), today we add another.
On this link to our Facebook page OR in the comment’s section of this post, tell us which photographer you love the most.
You may enter once per day. One winner will be chosen at random. Contest ends on Tuesday, July 18, 2011 at 12 midnight PST. (Since not all of you are on Facebook, you may enter here, as well.)
Big thanks to teNeues for sending over, not one, but two books – one to give away and one for me to keep as part of my growing collection of art + photography books. I’ll treasure it forever.
You can find Tim Walker’s Pictures and many more inspiring books over at teNeues. Also keep up with their latest releases by following teNeues on their Facebook page.
Good luck! (P.S. You may give Tim Walker as your answer.)