lewis chong

Write about what you know. That’s the advice given to aspiring authors. To pen a sense of authenticity pulled from life’s experiences. It also seems to be the approach that British photographers Tim Hill and James Aubrey take. There’s a feel of the autobiographical to their work. A coming-of-age ordinariness streaks their absurdly candid shots. In place of conventional pretty locations and pristine sets it’s pylon-dotted fields and perfectly mundane bedrooms. There’s always something off about their photography too. Something that refuses to be defined. Fiction, fantasy and familiarity. How do they manage such a balancing act? We sat down with the duo to find out… 

ON AUTHENTICITY

Tim: “The aspirational world in which fashion is traditionally seen, on beautiful people in incredible places, didn’t seem to have any relevance to us. We see fashion as anthropological. And are greatly inspired by the quirks of how ordinary people dress. We juxtapose high fashion against a framework of characters and situations that people can relate to more readily.”

James: “We’re really influenced by our own lives, families, and relationships. When you scratch under the surface a bit, focussing on your own experiences and personal references, there's a wealth of original material there. In that sense the things that we explore seem very normal. Through our work it's great to be in a position to celebrate people and things that traditionally wouldn't be associated with fashion. It boring to be told what's on-trend all the time. No one wants that.”


ON WORKING TOGETHER

Tim: “Being a duo is an excellent safety net for not putting sub-standard work out. And a great way to make sure your message is as simplified and concise as possible. Having someone you trust to tell you that your idea is rubbish is infinitely useful.”

James: “I'd really struggle, at least initially, without having someone to sound ideas off of. We have to justify our ideas to each other before they go in front of other people, which is a reasonable litmus test as to whether they are any good. Most don't get past that stage. Also photography can be a lonely industry. We've been through it all together. I imagine I would have packed it in by now if I hadn’t had someone to complain to. Also, I’m not a morning person so there's an extra layer of guilt if I’m late for work.”


ON PHOTOGRAPHY

Tim: “The reason why our work drifts between [portraiture, documentary and fashion] styles is because we don’t particularly differentiate between them. They can be useful when used in accordance with one another. Or individually, to tell a story.”

James: “Treating fashion as a genre or style on its own can lead you down a sticky path. All styles of photography can be explored within its parameters.”


ON CLOSER INSPECTION

Tim: “Even our most honest portraits tend to include some fantastical quality. We like to jump back and forth between reality and fantasy and retain a certain level of ambiguity in our work. We start with a very focussed vision of the world or character that we want to depict, which means our stories end up being glimpses of something bigger. Then we rely on the viewer’s natural instincts to fill in the gaps.”


ON BRITISHNESS

James: “The way we light probably has a lot to do with the feeling of Britishness in our work. And the subjects and people we explore can relate back to ourselves. There’s such a wonderfully rich culture in this country and we enjoy dropping ambiguous references into our stories that people may remember from their childhoods, or from moving here, that pose little questions about when the photos were taken.”

Tim: “We love a grey sky too and tend to unluckily take the weather with us when we travel.”


ON DESIRE

Tim: “There is a craving for the personal. People want things that are bespoke and artistic that contain some true part of the creator. Glossy mass-produced collective aspiration is a thing of the past.”