Q&A with photographer Lean Timms

We recently commissioned acclaimed Canberra based photographer Lean Timms for a retail photoshoot. Her photographs celebrate the high quality work by our members and showcase all the beautiful pieces we have available for sale in the Craft ACT shop. With Timms’ photographs, our online retail collections are a real treat for the eyes.    

This week we interviewed Lean to learn more about her own creative practice and her experience shooting this collection.   

Table setting featuring work from Craft ACT shop

Please tell us a bit about you and your creative practice? 
I’m Lean, a freelance travel and lifestyle photographer working across editorial, commercial, publishing and content creation fields. I (usually) spend the majority of my time on the road shooting and the rest of it taking it easy at homeMy creative practice is driven by natural light, space and surrendering to place - wherever and whatever that might look like. I’m a big fan of wine bars, the outdoorschanging seasons, farmers markets and doggos, and I adore living in Canberra.  

Can you tell us about your experience doing the Craft ACT retail shoot?  
It was a lot like Christmas in my studio for a couple of days – early morning I’d open the studio door with the biggest grin on my face, ready to choose from all of the beautiful objects to play with. I shot the collection all through my house over a couple of days, chasing the light from room to room, excitedly creating scenes and a big mess behind me as I wentSo fun.  

What did you like most about the work you were shooting?  
That every piece was hand crafted and that every single work I photographed was unique. I loved imagining the time and intention each piece took to make. I love how humans can come up with such brilliant creative ideas. It was a real pleasure knowing so many of them were made right here in Canberra, too. I didn’t want to give most of it back.  

Image: Tableware from Craft ACT. Photo: Lean Timms

What inspires your styling and photographic choices? 
Natural light. Always. I spend the whole day looking for and loving it. I’m also a highly sensory person so textures, colours, smells, tastes etc really drive me. I’m not much of a planner and am a fan of shooting in situ as much as possible, so I’d say mybestshots oftenhappenthroughspontaneity, intuition and feel.For me it’s important for things to not be too fussy and for the imagery to read as ‘real’. I love a photo that can transport and make you want to jump right in.  

What are your tips for being creative at home?  
Creativity often follows inspiration.  So what inspires you?  For me, I’ll head out for a walk/run/bike ride to feel the day and get fresh air. Usually nature is enough to get me going. Then, back at home, I’ll get hygge af – in the morning I’ll make a big pot of tea or in the eve pour a glass of wine, then light some candles, play some music and flick through some image heavy books, or read a chapter or two of philosophy or poetry, or even cook books. Then… off I go. When it comes to getting creative with food, I usually turn to travel.  Which country do I want to go to dinner tonight? Israel? Cool, I’ll cook something Middle Eastern, fill the house with the smell of spices and dream of being in Jerusalem… 

Images: Sofa with cushions, serving board and cup from Craft ACT.Photo: Lean Timms

Shop online, anytime at Craft ACT.

All images styled and photographed by Lean Timms.