Timothy Flower: Surreal explosions of pink and blue

"I discovered infrared 35mm film and I've been obsessively shooting it since. "

Tell us about yourself.

I am 31 years old from Auckland, New Zealand. I work full time as a cinematographer (otherwise known as a Director of Photography) on documentaries, feature films and commercials.

When and how did the film journey begin for you?

When I first got into photography at about the age of 18 I shot on film because that was pretty much the only option. Digital SLRs had just started coming out and were very expensive and not very good quality. I worked part time at a film lab/vintage camera store so I had the opportunity to play around with a lot of different cameras and develop films I shot. When I moved into video work, my photography took the back seat for a while. It wasn't until a couple of years ago when I pulled out an old SLR that I started getting back into shooting film again. I discovered infrared 35mm film and I've been obsessively shooting it since.

What Could we always find in your gear bag?

I vary between so many cameras and formats that my gear bag is constantly different. One day I'll just have a very simple compact SLR and another day I'll take out my full medium format kit. I don't think there's one item that I bring everywhere.

What camera makes you click?

I love my Minolta x370s. It's really small, simple and has a beautiful 28mm f2.5 lens. It also only cost me $40.

Who are your models? How do you interact with them before shooting?

I often find a small community or town and really explore the culture. I love to photograph the micro-cultures that exist within a larger culture. With my infrared work have been focusing on turning the green New Zealand pastures and forests we are used to into surreal explosions of pink and blue. Putting into question what we find beautiful in New Zealand and why.

What inspires you most?

Finding out about a fascinating place I would like to photograph.

Do you have any advice for film photographers out there?

Experiment as much as possible.

You can find Timothy Flower here:
www.timflowerphotography.com
Instagram
timflower.co.nz