Interview: Timothy Harmon
Luca Curci talks with Timothy Harmon during HYBRID IDENTITIES, first appointment of BORDERS ART FAIR, at Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello.

In 2005, Timothy Harmon purchased a DSLR camera before his first trip to South Africa. On that trip, he discovered his passion for photography. Throughout his travels, he looks for unique settings that create compelling photos. Timothy is fascinated by how people interact with their surroundings, and the stories told through a single moment captured by a camera. He typically gravitates to street photography but have also been immersed in landscape and wildlife photography. He uses a Sony A7R III mirrorless camera, with a collection of professional lenses and filters. All his images are in RAW format. All photos are infused directly into ChromaLuxe coated metal sheets.

Luca Curci – How did you get into photography?
Timothy Harmon – I purchased a DSLR camera before my first trip to South Africa. I wanted to ensure I had a good camera to capture what I knew would be unique settings. On that trip, I discovered my passion for photography and capturing settings that told a story. Ever since then, I have been interested in all types of photography.

LC – Do you remember why you took your first professional photo?
TH – It was my “Berlin Bubbles” photo, a street photo of a bubble artist playing with a small girl with people who passed by taking in the scene. It is a photo that I have sold the most of and one that always brings a smile to my face. I took the photo because I enjoyed the scene, and enjoyed watching other people enjoy the scene.

LC – According to you, what makes a good photo?
TH – A photo should tell a story. Sometimes you may feel you see what the initial story is, but as you look more closely you find more details and more clues that give you a bigger picture of what is taking place. Those photos that slowly reveal themselves as you look more closely are the best ones.

LC – Which details do you focus on?
TH – I tend to try and focus on one main subject in my photos. They may be surrounded by others or inserted in a large landscape, but most are typically about one subject and their relation to what is around them.

LC – What do you think about art on social media?
TH – I think social media has opened art and photography to a whole new group of people who may have not engaged without that option. Because so much of social media is consumed via phones, everyone can be a photographer with something to share. I guarantee many artists started by sharing their artwork with friends and family and then gravitated to start taking their art career more seriously.

LC – Are they turning into the new showcases of contemporary art?
TH – I think they are a new showcase that is available to everyone. That easy availability is great for everyone. There are limitations when you are just viewing art/photography on a phone or computer screen. When you look at the technology of today’s cameras, many of which have incredibly high resolution, the ability to create large prints is a difference maker. Many of my photos will elicit a different reaction when you see them printed on a large scale. Many of the details will not reveal themselves if you are looking at the photo via a phone.

LC – Are your artworks focused on a specific theme?
TH – I typically gravitate to street photography but have also been immersed in landscape and wildlife photography. Most of my photography is centered around my travels. I think that street photography provides so much content and possibilities. So many stories and interesting scenes can be found on an average city street. The subjects, and how they interact with their surroundings provide an excellent canvas for good street photography.

LC – Can you explain something about the artworks you have in our exhibition?
TH – “The Vessel” is a photo of one of the most iconic buildings in Midtown Manhattan, and the centerpiece of Hudson Yards. This beehive-looking structure has 154 interconnecting flights of stairs that create a surreal appearance and a unique photo opportunity. The photos were taken from inside the structure with a wide-angle lens. There always is a bit of wonderment when someone first looks at the photo trying to comprehend what they are looking at.

LC – Would you suggest a collaboration with us? What do you think about our services? What are your suggestions about our services? Is there something more we can provide to artists?
TH – I thought that ITS Liquid’s philosophy of focusing on being a platform for contemporary art, architecture, and design was an excellent mix of mediums. Art across mediums can be very closely aligned. I loved the theme around architecture and immediately thought of the photo “The Vessel”. The organization and promotion of the event were great. Being in the US it was great to be able to see all the photos and videos of the event. I would recommend collaborations from other artists with ITS Liquid.