TIM BRET DAY - PHOTOGRAPHER
THE DARK PRINCE OF ACTON!
Some images may grab your attention for a second. While other images will stop you in your tracks and make you wonder, how they were even created. Well, I remember seeing a collection of images that did just that to me, maybe 20 years ago. A series of highly complex tableaux images of 20-30 models that were created for the British lingerie brand, Agent Provocateur. Each one with a defined narrative that looked like something from a painting, but with a unique edge. With huge production levels, beautiful lighting and so much attention to detail that I was sold. I needed to find out who this photographer was. So, after a little digging I discovered that the images were created by, incredibly talented photographer, Mr Tim Bret Day. And I’ve been a fan ever since. His career is nothing short of legendary. Advertising, portraiture, celebrity photography, books, art—you name it, he’s done it. So I was honoured when he agreed to be a guest on The Creative Nowhere Land Podcast.
LED ZEPPLIN DIDN’T CALL!
Tim is a natural story teller. And he’s got all of the stories, you might imagine that go with such an illustrious career in the creative industry. His journey is like a snapshot of a very special time in British culture and fashion, working for publications like The Face and i-D magazine and being surrounded by the whos who of the time. But, photography wasn’t even the dream for Tim growing up. Tim, an avid drummer, truly believed that he would become Led Zepplin’s next drummer and it was in the interim that he found photography and began creating images, heavily influenced by cinema and the work of Helmut Newton. As time progressed Tim found himself assisting some of the most established photographers of the time, including Neil Kirk and, briefly, Paolo Roversi. Building an understanding around the importance of style and for how the fashion industry worked. Tim then began forging his own creative career balancing commercial work with constantly experimenting with ideas and concepts that would later help define his style.
THE ART OF AGENT PROVOCATEUR.
The Agent Provocateur images stopped me in my tracks. I’m sure you can see why now, seeing them for yourself. At the time this was all new, and now looks like something AI might create. And it was Tim, experimenting with style and technology, and teaming up with a retoucher, Lee Stuart, that led to this development. Where they began crafting these highly complex, surreal, cinematic, technical tableaux.
Heavily influenced surrealism and by works art like ‘The Garden of Earthly Delights’ by Hieronymus Bosch and by scenes from ‘The Rake’s Progress’ by William Hogarth, these images for Agent Provocateur are like works of art in themselves. Themes of witches and pirates, the images provide the viewer with an endless visual treasure hunt, trying to spot all the elements that make up each piece.
CAPTURING LEGENDS
As well as creating iconic campaigns for more brands than I can name. Tim has photographed A listers and celebrities galore. Including cultural icons like David Beckham, Grace Jones, and even David Bowie—which makes for great stories in the podcast. From the initial phone comedic call from Bowie to Tim to the eventual album cover shoot where, amongst other images, they created the image below based on The Pieta. Another reference to the world of art that seem to inhabit a lot of Tims images.
And yes, we even got into the big question: out of all of the icons, legends and incredible people that Tim has photographed, who was his favourite to shoot? But, you’ll have to listen to find that one out.
DAVID BOWIE - TIM BRET DAY
GRACE JONES - TIM BRET DAY
CREATING LEGACY!
The world of fashion and celebrity is often thought of as something superficial. Amongst all the chat about A-listers and glamorous campaigns, we do go deeper on the podcast and talk about inspiration and much more personal stories about family, and about legacy. And legacy is an important word. From a career of hundreds and thousand of images, which will be the images be that Tim wants to be remembered for or that would be the work that will be in Tim's Magic Tin when it’s all said and done. Don't worry; I promise that will all make sense once you've listened to the podcast.
Be sure to check out the links below to explore Tim's work as you listen. This episode is packed with stories, and we dance around a lot in this one. But I can’t thank Tim enough for agreeing to be a part of the Creative Nowhere land community and I hope you love hearing about Tims truly incredible career so far.
TIM BRET DAY WEBSITE: https://www.timbretday.com/
TIM BRET PRINT SALES: https://timbretdayart.myshopify.com/
TIM BRET DAY INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/timbretdayphoto/
So strap in, hold on tight and enjoy some of the stories of The Dark Prince of Acton, Mr. Tim Bret Day.
Thank you for taking the time to read the blog and be sure to sign up for the newsletter to know when the next podcast goes live and to stay up to date with everything happening here in Creative Nowhere Land. Until next time…