Flights of fancy

The work of very few photographers has such a unique aesthetic as to be instantly recognisable, but Tim Flach is one such creator. Well-known for his ecological slant on fine art animal portraiture, his latest work, Birds, takes a look across the avian universe – from the common to the rare – in what he describes as a ‘slightly indulgent’ project.

Long an admirer of his work, the distinctive style of which puts it almost in a different category from most wildlife photography, it was a real pleasure to catch up with the photographer via Zoom earlier this year – just as he was preparing for the release of the Birds book, and gearing up for an exhibition in London which begins in December.

Tim’s previous project, , shone a spotlight on animals threatened with extinction. Although any project featuring animals is inextricably linked with such a plight, was mainly shot with a desire to capture Tim’s love for magnificent, beautiful, and sometimes downright odd creatures. As he explains, ‘You can’t remove yourself from the conservation message entirely, but having said that, this wasn’t the primary focus here. A book is a bit like a journey of discovery, you start not knowing very much about a subject, and you end it knowing