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first looks
November 6, 2012

Exclusive: First Look at Tim Walker’s Over-the-Top New Book, Story Teller

By Alex Rees

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Photo: Tim Walker: Story Teller, Introduction by Robin Muir, foreword by Kate Bush © Abrams Books, 2012

Renowned fashion photographer Tim Walker just released his latest retrospective, Story Teller, spanning 254 glossy pages of his recent work — an enticing mix of editorial shoots and studio portraiture dating back to 2007. In one shot, Karlie Kloss stumbles on a loosely paved yellow brick road; in another, Vivienne Westwood’s lost in the scent of freshly cut roses. And in perhaps the most iconic shot of the collection, there’s Alexander McQueen posing with a smoking skull, one of the last photos of the designer taken before his death in 2010. Alongside the images and their whimsical narratives, Walker explains his work using sprawling, introspective pull quotes and captions. It’s a strange take on his autobiography — as if he’s happily nattering away in the background while you’re lost in the images.

To complement the publication, London’s Somerset House has packed the mazelike galleries with highlights from Walker’s world. There’s enough of a narrative at hand to steer you through the collection (and power-steering is a must, as the exhibit is crowded), but not so much that you can’t let yourself get lost. Larger photos are hung on the walls, while smaller shots are stacked in white crates for easy thumbing. Props from shoots are peppered nonchalantly through the exhibit, too.

To celebrate the exhibit, Penny Martin, editor-in-chief of The Gentlewoman, held a discussion with Walker about this recent work. “There’s now a sense of darkness I hope is a sign of maturity,” he told her. “The sweetness [of my early work] can’t exist without a contrast.” While no one needs to worry that Tim’s abandoning his fantastical fantasies altogether, he feels he’s “really [successfully] explored the big set and the giant prop.” He’s ready to branch out a bit — so look out for short films and video work in his near future. Still, he remains one of the few photographers that doesn’t use digital, even while noting the technology would make his process easier. “I don’t like to think about [my work’s] audience,” he added. “The photos I take are for my own enjoyment and pleasure.” To enjoy them, too, click through for an exclusive look at the book.

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1 / 13 Photos
Walker explains his aesthetic in a short story featured in Story Teller and its accompanying exhibition: "When I think about my photography, I t... Walker explains his aesthetic in a short story featured in Story Teller and its accompanying exhibition: "When I think about my photography, I think about a secret room. Nobody knows where the rooms is because it's hidden at the top of a tower in a very old house. Even though I've been there before I can't always find it again, but if my intentions are true and my mind is clear I may well find myself walking up the same spiralling stone staircase that leads me up to the next door, that leads to another door, and maybe another door. Sometimes the doors are locked, sometimes they are open. Once inside, the room itself is empty but upholstered floor to ceiling, wall to wall, in a deep black velvet. High up, at the furthest corner from the door, there is  tiny rectangular window with a highly sprung small black shutter that opens and shuts with a very loud 'CLAP!' Watch out for this as it can give you a jump. Somehow, on tiptoe, I manage to look out of the window and encounter a view of such magnificence that I am staggered by its beauty and have to look away. A gust of wind suddenly picks up and rips through the scene, rearranging everything. At this point... the shutter (the one I warned you about) snaps shut with the same deafening 'CLAP!' The sound startles the people below, who turn back up to look at me, and if you see them looking up at me, you'd see me as a young boy looking down." Photo: Tim Walker: Story Teller, Introduction by Robin Muir, foreword by Kate Bush © Abrams Books, 2012
Photo: Tim Walker: Story Teller, Introduction by Robin Muir, foreword by Kate Bush © Abrams Books, 2012
Photo: Tim Walker: Story Teller, Introduction by Robin Muir, foreword by Kate Bush © Abrams Books, 2012
The photographer had not anticipated that this giant doll would photograph as menacing. So, for now, Walker's challenge is to balance this newfound se... The photographer had not anticipated that this giant doll would photograph as menacing. So, for now, Walker's challenge is to balance this newfound sense of darkness and the macabre (the monster under your childhood bed) with his quintessential charm and humor (the monster under your childhood bed wearing a designer tutu and Daphne Guinness wig). Photo: Tim Walker: Story Teller, Introduction by Robin Muir, foreword by Kate Bush © Abrams Books, 2012
Nothing gets left to chance in a Walker shoot, whether it's Grace Coddington's hair back-combed just so for a portrait, or the gelatinous sheen o... Nothing gets left to chance in a Walker shoot, whether it's Grace Coddington's hair back-combed just so for a portrait, or the gelatinous sheen of Humpty Dumpty's albumen shown here. (Walker had the solution road-tested pre-shoot by production staffers until it bled out correctly.) Photo: Tim Walker: Story Teller, Introduction by Robin Muir, foreword by Kate Bush © Abrams Books, 2012
Photo: Tim Walker: Story Teller, Introduction by Robin Muir, foreword by Kate Bush © Abrams Books, 2012
Photo: Tim Walker: Story Teller, Introduction by Robin Muir, foreword by Kate Bush © Abrams Books, 2012
Across the book and exhibition, it's often Walker's portraits that stand out most. While he's shot binders full of celebrities for magazines like W, V... Across the book and exhibition, it's often Walker's portraits that stand out most. While he's shot binders full of celebrities for magazines like W, Vogue, Vanity Fair, the New Yorker, and more, portraiture is a genre of his work that stands out pleasantly against ornate country house scenes. Photo: Tim Walker: Story Teller, Introduction by Robin Muir, foreword by Kate Bush © Abrams Books, 2012
Photo: Tim Walker: Story Teller, Introduction by Robin Muir, foreword by Kate Bush © Abrams Books, 2012
"When you single out a person and put them in a [blank] studio the challenge is then to take a photo that's revealing ... and true," notes W... "When you single out a person and put them in a [blank] studio the challenge is then to take a photo that's revealing ... and true," notes Walker. Of this iconic shot, he remembers McQueen's "youth, arrogance, performance, and innate rebellion." He'd planned for the designer to wear the skull pictured as a hat, as well as a boney bow tie — but McQueen said the idea was terrible. Instead, this came to fruition. Then there's Alber Elbaz, who features in three portraits within Story Teller and was a very nervous subject, for example. "He's incredibly uncomfortable about how he looks," Walker says. It took a studio full of props, and much coaxing, before he agreed to pose wearing furry rabbit ears. Which, as you'd imagine, turned out great." Photo: Tim Walker: Story Teller, Introduction by Robin Muir, foreword by Kate Bush © Abrams Books, 2012
Photo: Tim Walker: Story Teller, Introduction by Robin Muir, foreword by Kate Bush © Abrams Books, 2012
Photo: Tim Walker: Story Teller, Introduction by Robin Muir, foreword by Kate Bush © Abrams Books, 2012
Photo: Tim Walker: Story Teller, Introduction by Robin Muir, foreword by Kate Bush © Abrams Books, 2012
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