More Than Human - Striking Animal Portraits by Tim Flach

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

This year the photographer Tim Flach presented a new project called - this is an amazing collection of portraits of our younger brothers, shot with special tenderness and expressing aesthetic elegance. - writes historian Joanna Burke in her notes on what it means to be human. Yet our relationship with animals and our understanding of how they live are, at best, imperfect.

Tim spent many years studying the mysteries of the natural relationship between man and animals. It is not surprising that a series of his works are published along with books that describe various types of living creatures: rare and common, awkward, defenseless and dangerous. All of them are of particular value when faced with a photographer's lens.

- In your book, you can find various images of animals - some grab the attention of viewers due to their appearance, other photos are attached with interesting stories as bait. How do you decide what to photograph?

Sometimes this solution is very simple, for example, because jellyfish look great. And sometimes they can look like a spaceship, and then I am interested to know the history of this species.

- Do you use different methods of finding animals for shooting?

Yes, I use different methods. For example, a shot of chicken feathers, which is one of the most interesting works for me. I asked my assistant to find a mutated animal, but not a hybrid. He used the internet and found a photograph of a chicken at a university in Jerusalem. We immediately went there and very much surprised by our visit one of the professors, who asked how we learned about them.

The audience is amazed not only by the photographs themselves, but also by the stories to them, the book itself as a whole. At first glance, the book is nothing special, but if you look closely, your opinion will change. There are surprises in store for readers on every page - and it doesn't matter if you start reading from the beginning or from the middle.

- Why exactly animals are the objects of your filming?

I have always been amazed at the processes taking place in nature itself. I think the main aspect for me is the feeling of separation and distance between humans and animals, which is always intriguing.

- Tell us about the initial idea for this series of works.

Many wildlife photos show people chasing animals and invading their habitats. On the contrary, I would like to bring animals closer to what we understand. I deliberately separated them from the context to create a sense of almost hyperreality.

- Do human art portraits inspire you?

I have always been fascinated by the culture of art in general, so I am inspired by the work of many famous painters such as Rembrandt, Picasso. Sometimes I borrow some of their compositions. - What technique do you use for filming?

For most of my shots, I use a Hasselblad camera (H4D 50). Whenever you need to take quick shots, as well as long-distance shots, I choose Canon. The choice always comes down to the most appropriate technique, depending on the situation.

- What to expect from the next jobs?

Anthropomorphism and the human face. I would like to take a closer look at the relationship between humans and animals. I already have such pictures, for example, with bats or pigs.

- Do you have any pets?

No, because I believe that animals should have a lot of space at their disposal. If I could give them a little freedom, I would definitely do it.

Amazingly gentle animal feelings illustrates a collection of pictures showing their friendship with each other.