An interview with street photographer Tim Bingham

What is your own background briefly, is it a logical background to what you do now?

For the past number of years, I have worked directly with marginalised groups as well which involved face to face work and a few years undertaking academic research.  Looking back this has greatly influenced my work and ethics, however at the time I didn’t realise it.

When I first started out taking photos on the street, I knew I enjoyed and felt comfortable and in some ways at home. I enjoyed the hustle and bustle of the street and capturing spilt second moments, but I didn’t have a name for it. It wasn’t until I went on a one-day workshop that I realised what I was doing was Street Photography. I suppose in many ways, I was looking for identifiable feelings and connections. Street photography can be empathetic and compassionate.

How was the last 12 months, how have you adapted to covid-19, what have you done differently / evolved your working practices / and how is this impacting going forwards?

I had to out a number of projects on hold, one was a particular collaborative project on identity with another artist, which is still being undertaken and hopefully will be exhibited later this year.

I also started taking photos related to the pandemic which is still ongoing. Unexpectedly, an opportunity has arisen to have some of these exhibited either late in 2021 or early 2022.

The past 12 months have been challenging and liberating. I knew that I was going to have to dramatically adapt the way I work but this also provided me a space to develop new skills and to set myself a goal of publishing some of my work. In March 2020 Street Photography really stopped for me almost immediately and it was then I knew that I had to keep myself busy. I came up with the idea of having live Instagram conversations with other photographers from around the world.

This created an important routine for me, as I had to undertake research on the photographer and their style before we had the conversation. To be honest it was a dream for me to speak to some of the people I did. What I didn’t realise at the time was how other people who were following me on Instagram and elsewhere valued the conversations I was having, as they like so many others weren’t in touch with other people.

The majority of my work then went online, but this created a completely new space for me as I was being asked to run a number of Smartphone Photography workshops online from product branding photography to designing artwork for the home environment.

I was getting contacted by different organisations from the UK, USA and Ireland who were working directly with various marginalised groups who asked me to run some Smartphone Storytelling Workshops for their service users/clients. Zoom allowed participants to be anonymous, but through the training workshops gave them a space to take photos and edit them, enabling them to tell their stories from their own perspective.

What none of the organisations and workers realised at the time was that this created a therapeutic engagement tool. Now I am working with organisations to develop their own programmes, as well as working with some of them to create large public installations for 2022 from the photographs taken.

Having the opportunity to work with these groups, to open up a space for them, was important to me as so many online and face to face photography workshops are cost-prohibitive to so many people. I don’t believe that photography should be exclusive, I believe it should be inclusive and being inclusive is enabling fresh voices to the world of photography where we can learn from one another.

This time also allowed me to learn how to design and publish a photobook. I linked in with a number of valued friends that had already successfully published to get their opinion.  I decided I was going to design my own A5 zine. The process from designing and curating to sourcing a printer, to deciding on the paper was a steep learning curve – however, extremely valuable. I printed a limited run of 25 as I wanted to keep some exclusivity around it but also not expecting to sell them all, little did I realise that I would sell out in 3 hours, which was a complete shock.

I knew that I needed to keep my eye in especially as I wasn’t on the streets, so I was taking different photos every day and finding myself being drawn into various genres, which I hope to develop further as I was finding the more purposeful and creative side enjoyable.

2021 particularly allowed me to also start a journey of asking the questions on where I want to go in 2022, and do I want to carry on taking photos on the street, as there for me has to be more than taking a photo and putting it onto social media.  Even though I really do still enjoy Street Photography and will undoubtedly carry on. The past 12 months have affected me personally due to the loss of family members and friends and it’s made me take a fresh look at what’s important to me. I want my photography to be more thoughtful, to have more meaning to me – particularly with human interest stories .

Who inspires you & your photography?

That is a really good question as this has changed over the past year or so and there are so many. Not in any order: Suzanne Stein, Kevin Lim, Laura Pannack, Jenny Lewis, Rob Layton, Daniel Sackheim, Gustavo Minas, Paul Treacy, Alys Tomlinson, Craig Easton, Trent Parke and Roy Metha.

How much of your work is a smartphone versus other types of camera?

I would say that 60 % of my photos would be on a smartphone basically, as this is the camera that I have with me all the time. I really see this as part of my toolkit, as I do shoot with a Fuji X-T30, as well as film. To me they are all very different shooting styles.

Shooting on a smartphone has enabled me to get shots that otherwise I would not have got either because of the angle or because for example at carnivals, it’s easier to squeeze through with a phone rather than having a camera strapped around you.  Smartphones are also more discreet, however it really depends on the circumstances, as there are still occasions where I require a digital camera.

What tips would you give to those starting out?

Go back to the old masters of Photography whatever genre you’re interested in. Experiment and allow yourself to develop your own eye. It’s from experimenting that you can truly find a unique voice. Keep a visual diary of photos and colours that influence you, this can be useful for looking back and informing you. When you start taking photos you will start seeing the streets, the environment, differently.

Try not to be influenced by what people deem to be successful influencers on Instagram. When I started out, I valued my photos by the number of likes I received. For me that was how I deemed made a good or bad photograph. I put so much pressure on myself that I walked away from it for a period of a few months. There was great learning from this for me.

An example of this was, a friend of mine contacted me and asked me to have a look at some of her photos and asked if they would be suitable for Instagram. I went back to her and said no – however I could see them as large prints as they were so distinctive. I persuaded her to enter a major international photography competition.

She got 1^st prize enough money, they did end up as large prints in an exclusive collection and she went on to become self-employed and very successful. The reason I am using this as an example is that social media is very useful for exposure and networking however my friend developed her own voice and still today enjoys what she was doing.

Try and avoid buying the latest smartphone or digital camera. Do your research through reviews, YouTube etc. Start off with a model that is a few years old and teach yourself the various settings and eventually how to shoot using all the manual settings.

The best tool you have is your eye, buying the latest gear doesn’t create a good photo. I still occasionally shoot on a mirrorless camera that is 10 years old and honestly no one viewing the photo knows the difference.

It’s important to have fun, as photography is a lifelong journey where we are constantly learning.  Since I picked up a camera, I have been lucky enough to have had some incredible experiences, met some amazing people and have lifelong memories.

What are your sources of information and inspiration from, and how do you ensure you are not in your own filter bubble? 

Firstly, I don’t allow social media to be my filter bubble. I still have many photos I haven’t posted to social media as I tend to leave these for exhibitions or for a project for another photo book.

One important tip I was given was to marinate my photos. I leave them for a few weeks, months or in some case years, particularly if I have an emotional attachment to them. It enables me to look at them with a fresh pair of eyes and generally, I see something different in them that I didn’t see when I shot the photo. I suppose I am my own filter bubble, as I am my harshest critic.

However, I have very good friends who I can go to for advice. I can’t underestimate the importance of listening to certain photography podcasts who are constantly introducing photographers – some I may not have heard of however there is always a gem of information to take away. I constantly want to be challenged and I get frustrated when I shoot the same style of photos as my work does vary.

I will never forget the lengthy discussions myself and had a friend had who suggested I changed the cover of my photobook as he felt it didn’t fit the theme. He was right. My wife who is involved in the film industry is always challenging me and is great at suggesting fresh perspectives and also saying I can do better

I am constantly looking out for newly released photobooks, particularly from a couple of publishers as I know that the work they publish is always of a high standard. I do often spend time looking at photo books I have purchased in the past and analyse the photos again. Occasionally, a group of photographers from various parts of the world arrange a Zoom meeting where we share our work and feedback, it’s a safe space where we can be open with each other.

How can people find out more about you personally & your work?

My website: publiclens.ie

Instagram: @_timbingham_

Twitter: @publiclens1

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