GOODBYE FUN GUY :(

Today is a sad day as I say 'toodleloo' to my favorite Great Brit, Snappy Tim!

And that there is a little farewell token in hopes he will always remember his favorite American intern…A “cact-eye” for a “fun guy.” Ok, that's a lot of puns in one place- but that is just the way Tim and I work, clearly!

Seriously though, I am going to miss my afternoon chats with Tim at WWD. I was lucky enough to squeeze in an interview with him…and since I’ve mentioned him so often on the blog, I want to share with you how truly talented Mr. Jenkins is and the incredible places that his career have taken him!

K: How did you begin your career as a photographer?

T: I am a fourth generation photographer. Two of my great grandfathers, my grandfather, and my father were all photographers. Some sort of drifted into it. My elder brother took over the family business on the Suffolk coast, ‘bout 130 miles to the north and east of London- the round bit that sticks out towards Holland. I worked in the business for a year and then thought that I ought to gain more experience…that way I could return and work with my brother, not for him!

I then came to London and got a job as an assistant in Vogue Studios- working with lots of the world’s best photographers from that period (the early ‘70s). Photographers that I worked with included names like: Irving Penn, Horst, Lord Snowdon, and Henry Clarke. For the longest period I worked with Norman Parkinson and David Bailey, travelling to all corners of the globe- including fashion shoots in the Seychelles and the Caribbean.

K: When did you begin contributing to WWD?

T: Whilst at Vogue Studios, I started to freelance for the London office of WWD and then I was asked to join them as their London photographer. This I did. I worked for them as a “Staffer” for the next thirteen years or so, travelling to all the fashion cities to cover the shows and what we called “advances” in the run to the shows.

K: What was your training, education, work experience like?

T: Well, [I began] photographing designers as they worked on their new collections- Yves St Laurent, Lagerfeld, Marc Bohan for Dior, Ungaro & Co. in Paris, a young Armani & Versace in Milan, Valentino in Rome (etcetera, etcetera). Plus, of course, [I photographed] the London crowd. I also did travel, business, and lifestyle stories, as well as home & abroad, where I photographed Mrs. Gandhi in the garden. (That was where she was assassinated three months later). I shot in the USSR, Hungary, South Africa, USA, and pretty much most of Europe. Some of the trips included photographing the [previously mentioned] designers in the various homes or on their yachts and skiing, etc.

Then, in 1976, I was asked by the New York office of Fairchild to head up their photographic service in New York. At the same time the fledgling W Magazine asked me to be their Photographic Director (well, John Fairchild did.) I declined both which was perhaps my biggest mistake…but I don't regret the decision.

K: What suggestions would you have for someone starting in your career field today?

T: Don’t! (laughs) No, I’m only half-joking…but experience in the field is the best kind.

K: How has your field changed in the last two years?

T: Hmmm…last two years not so much. It’s more the last five to ten, with the advent of Digital. Most of all the immediacy of the shoot to get it to the publication...either in hard copy papers or on websites. Often, we [photographers] have to get images sent across the world over night or in the same day in order to get them "up on line."

Also, there are now masses of websites and hundreds of people who call themselves photographers- but are really just auto camera operators. Plus, a lot of the websites and freebie papers don't seem to care much about quality, either. This seems to have driven the price of photography down.

K: How has the online news cycle impacted your industry?

T: There are constant late requests for work to be shot and final images are literally needed almost before they are taken!

K: What have been some of the highlights of your career at WWD?

T: Let’s see. Certainly working as an assistant to Norman Parkinson. Yes, photographing Princess Anne's wedding and her engagement photographs. The trips to exotic locations. Photographing Mrs. Gandhi in a relaxed way as we “sitted” and chatted on her lawn in Delhi. Sometimes seeing an image used and thinking that's a nice “pic” before realizing that I took it. Meeting some really super people who are big in their field and realizing how humble they are. (There is also the opposite when people think that they are so much more important or better than they really are.)

K: What are some of the challenges you face as a photographer?

T: Keeping up with the equipment! It used to be that a film camera would last for years. Now, there is an update every few months. Plus, the expense and update of computer equipment, which is really an extension of the camera now.

K: What are the most important factors governing career success in your industry?

T: Luck! And also, being around to appreciate the luck when it falls into your lap. The best job is the second one from a client...it means that they liked the first one I did for them!

K: What does WWD look for in a new hire?

T: I hope they don't…as I have been involved with them photographically for the past 40 years or so and have no plans of putting on my lens cap just yet!

But, I suppose, they would look to what they were replacing; good looking, easy to get on with, quick to learn what's required, have ideas, turn up on time or just before, deliver the goods without being told what's wanted each and every time. [Someone] reliable. Don't become repetitive and stuck in old habits. Don't become repetitive and stuck in old habits. Don't become repetitive and stuck in old habits. Don't become repetitive and stuck in old habits. Look for the interesting.



So that’s Snappy Tim in a nutshell. Check out his website, www.timjenkinsphoto.co.uk, to see more of his photos! I hope you’ve enjoyed getting to know him as much as I have.

But for now he is off to shoot the chaos at Glastonbury (aka Woodstock)! Geez…what a coooool dude!

Cheers. xo.

KTea