Whimsical dreaming...

I want to live in the world of Tim Walker.

He's a British photographer, working in London, who I guess you'd call a fashion photographer - but I think that to limit him to that would be unfair to his work and talent.

Anyway, what I personally really like about Walker's photographs is the whimsical, nostalgic nature of his images. They kind of feel like a childhood memory, filled with interesting shapes and soft colours - really, I wish my childhood had been more like his pictures. I guess as well, there's something that's remniscient of Alice in Wonderland; an endless memory that mixes reality with an undeniable sense of fantasy. Dresses that hang from trees, a room decorated with cakes, enormous cameras and toy aeroplanes, spiralling staircases, old houses, a gian swan being assembled on the beach at dawn, library camp-outs and bubble baths filled to overflowing are the kinds of things that feature in his works; while not often featuring children as the subject of the images, there is something that pulls the viewer back to childhood, losing them in memories that are half real and half dream.

A lot of his works remind me of older, medieval-reference stories and paintings, not necessarily in style but in mood. There is something undeniably old-world about his photos, which I really appreciate. He also has works in the permanent collections of the V&A museum in London (one of my favourite museum/galleries in the world. It excites me!).

I don't often gush over a single photographer in this way (with the exception of Annie Leibovitz, whom I think suffers from being overrated), but his works just affect me. It must be the beautiful people in surreal settings, the soft lighting and the pretty dresses. They also remind me of Florence and the Machine's video clip for "Rabbit Heart (Raise it Up)", which I think is just beautiful.

Maybe deep down, I just want to live a life of frivolity and tea parties; pretty dresses and make-believe. They've always appealed. But, for now, I'll be happy to lose myself in Tim Walker.