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Tim Smith
I’m an enthusiastic landscape photographer with a deep-rooted love for both painting and capturing the quiet magic of local woodlands and countryside—and sometimes venturing further afield.
Michéla Griffith
In 2012 I paused by my local river and everything changed. I’ve moved away from what many expect photographs to be: my images deconstruct the literal and reimagine the subjective, reflecting the curiosity that water has inspired in my practice. Water has been my conduit: it has sharpened my vision, given me permission to experiment and continues to introduce me to new ways of seeing.
We often get so caught up in our passion for photography that we assume others’ inspiration comes solely from being outdoors or viewing photographs of landscapes. However, speaking to Tim Smith, it’s particularly interesting to learn that his vision and style of images are greatly influenced by his own long-term enjoyment of sketching and painting, and from landscape painters. In our interview, we learn how creativity has never been far away, and how his practice is continuing to evolve.
Would you like to start by telling readers a little about yourself – where you grew up, what your early interests were, and what you went on to do?
Hello, my name is Tim Smith, popular by name, common by nature. A born and bred Derbyshire lad from a village not too far from the market town of Chesterfield, England. I’ve lived here ever since with my wife, my now-grown-up son and daughter, my mother, and, of course, Jake, our ever-so-energetic Border Collie.
With the countryside literally at the front door, and the eastern edge of the Peak District National Park just a couple of miles down the road, cycling and hiking played a large part in my time growing up. Music and the movies, especially an affection for film music, played a large part too, which I now tend to listen to while editing photos.
An interest in science and technology took hold of me from an early age, remembering back to the days when I so keenly wanted to become a cameraman for the BBC or a sound engineer. Eventually, however, I ended up attending my local technical college to study electrical engineering, which ultimately led me into the construction industry, running my own business.