Tim Walker

Responsible for some of fashion’s most magical, whimsical and exquisite imagery, British photographer Tim Walker is one of the most creative photographers working today. Walker’s highly produced sets are fantastical environments, often highly allegorical. Walker often plays with proportion, casting his models as giants in a shrunken world, or the reverse.

Born in England in 1970, Walker’s first step towards his career in photography was a work experience placement at Condé Nast for the duration of his "gap year," during which the aspiring photographer worked on the publishing company’s Cecil Beaton archive. Contemporaneous to this, Walker entered The Independent’s photography awards, which led to a three-year photography BA (Hons) degree at Exeter College of Art.

Following his graduation Walker moved to New York to take up the enviable position of Richard Avedon’s first assistant. When he returned to London Walker focused on portraiture and reportage for the newspaper industry, however in 2005, aged 25, Walker shot his first fashion story for British Vogue. He has now contributed to a slew of high-profile magazines including Vogue, W and Harper's Bazaar and has shot two front covers for British Vogue — Lily Cole on the July 2005 cover and Stella Tenant on the November 2005 issue. Commercially he has shot advertising campaigns for clients as wide ranging as Barneys New York, Comme des Garçons, Gap and Yohji Yamamoto .

In 2008, his first major exhibition was held at the Design Museum in London, coinciding with the publication of his first book, entitled "Pictures." In the same year Walker received the Isabella Blow award for Fashion Creator at the British Fashion Awards. In May 2009, he received an infinity award from The International Centre of Photography in New York for his work as a fashion photographer. Both the Victoria & Albert Museum and the National Portrait Gallery in London have Tim Walker photographs in their permanent collections. In September 2019, Walker staged another exhibition at London's Victoria and Albert museum, showcasing 150 pieces of his work produced in his over 25-year long career, as well as 10 new pieces exclusive to the exhibition. 

In 2010 Walker’s first short film, "The Lost Explorer" was premiered at Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland and went on to win best short film at the Chicago United Film Festival, 2011. 2012 saw the opening of Walker’s hugely popular "Story Teller" photographic exhibition at Somerset House, along with a publication of the same title. That same year, the photographer was also awarded with an Honorary Fellowship from the Royal Photographic Society. In 2019, Walker released another photography book, titled "Shoot For The Moon".