Tom Overs Part 2

 

The man himself – (photo by Joe Rhead)

 

Photography is pretty popular these days, decent cameras are becoming cheaper and almost anyone with a bit of time on their hands and a dodgy copy of Photoshop on their laptop can produce perfectly serviceable images. I’m going to point out here that I’m in no way having a go – I am a fully paid up member of the amateur photographer club (anybody who remembers the early days of R&F will remember that my shots were more about luck than skill…). But, every once and a while someone comes around and their natural skill shines through. Tom is one of these people; he’s got an instinctive style, analogue, funny and intimate.

 

We’ve been pretty lucky in that since setting up R&F Tom has kind of assumed the role of staff photographer and he has been a big influence on the direction of the brand. Here’s a bit more about the man in question, and once you’re done with that, check out his Tumblr http://tomovers.tumblr.com/

 

R&F: Tell us a bit about your badself: name, age, location, occupation, favourite Michael Jackson song, least favourite Michael Jackson song?

TO: T0m Overs,

23,

Liverpool,

Editorial Review Agent (Microsoft),

Favourite MJ tune: Hmmm, there are a lot. Possibly ‘Workin’ day and night’. ‘Man in the Mirror’ might tip it though.

Least favourite: They’re all great. I don’t have a least favourite.

 

R&F: What attracted you to photography in the first place?

TO: Old photo albums I think, or to begin with anyway. Pictures of my parents when they were young. Pictures of me when I was young. Just the idea of freezing a moment in time – I love it. A paint brush can’t really do that.

 

Untitled – Tom Overs 2011

 

R&F: A lot of your subject matter seems to be familiar to you, friends, family, your home town, the surrounding countryside. Is this a conscious decision?

TO: I think the environment around me definitely has an influence. For the most part just because I’ve seen it more than any other so I’ve actually had time to sit, contemplate, and think about how it all fits together. With that said, it’s often easier taking pictures of people you don’t know. Pictures of friends can be difficult just because you’re so aware of their personalities. If you take a picture of a stranger you can make them out to be whoever you want them to be.

 

 

“I love moments that feel mundane when they’re happening, but that fill you with a sense of longing almost immediately after they’ve passed.”

 

 

R&F: What would you consider your key influences, photographers or otherwise?

TO: With this one it’s a split. On a professional level I like street photography and journalistic photography above just about everything else. Guys like Joel Meyerowitz, Robert Frank, W Eugene Smith, Don McCullin. Ian Berry has a fantastic exhibition showing in Liverpool at the moment.

Putting the pros to a side though, and linking into that earlier reference to parents’ photo albums, I really love vernacular photography (amateur photography). I think with this one its just about my own personal obsession with the everyday. I love moments that feel mundane when they’re happening, but that fill you with a sense of longing almost immediately after they’ve passed. They trigger something in your mind. It’s like a constant ‘grass is always greener’ thing. It’s not that easy to summarise but I really love that feeling of scanning through pictures and thinking: Christ, I forgot all about that. And it’s frozen! The people aren’t there anymore, but it happened, and there’s a snapshot there to prove it.

 

Light Bulb – Tom Overs 2011

 

R&F: It looks like you’ve used analogue cameras almost exclusively, why is this?

TO: Digital is great, but my liking of film is just a knee-jerk thing. I think it just looks a lot nicer to be honest. Film makes everything seem major and cinematic, yet remains true to life. Digital has a very different feel. It can be far too clinical, almost like CGI.

 

R&F: Do you find that using an analogue camera changes the way you work – less instant results, more expensive to get the pictures processed etc.?

 

“…if you couldn’t look at the picture until a few days or even weeks later, you might find that this same image provokes an emotional response; a feeling of fondness maybe, or perhaps something else entirely.”

 

TO: It’s more expensive, which is definitely annoying. Well, that’s providing that you already own a digital. But I prefer the waiting process with film – not being able to see the image straight away. It links in with that sense of nostalgia I mentioned: if you took a picture of something seemingly everyday or banal, chances are you might delete it immediately if you shot it with a digital. Whereas, if you couldn’t look at the picture until a few days or even weeks later, you might find that this same image provokes an emotional response; a feeling of fondness maybe, or perhaps something else entirely. It might not of course, but there’s still a chance. It’s like when you buy a CD: often you’ll listen to it over and over often because you don’t want to admit defeat. You don’t want to have wasted your money. You’ll listen to it until you find something you like! So often you’ll illegally download an album and throw it out after 30 seconds just because it wasn’t what you expected. I don’t like that disposable mentality. It’s dangerous territory.

 

R&F: Dangerous territory….Throwing things away or downloading illegally?

 

TO: (Laughs) Both.

9-5 Office Job – Tom Overs 2011

 

R&F: Some of your work seems quite composed (I’m thinking about those shots of people on the beach) whilst some of the others seem more impromptu and less staged. Which style do you prefer?

TO: In general I’m anti-staging. It’s not what photography’s about; not the kind I like the most anyway. I find reality far more interesting. There are instances when it can work well though – usually when you want to resonate a certain concept or scene but lack sufficient natural details. DiCorcia’s work is a great example of this. His pictures are brilliant.

Convex/Concave – A Piece of Fruit. – Tom Overs 2011

 

R&F: The peak district features quite heavily in your work, what’s your connection with the area?

 

TO: I grew up there. I lived by the Roaches for the first 18 years of my life. I’d recommend it to anyone… anyone that likes the outdoors anyway. However, If you’re idea of heaven is dry air, concrete blocks and window curtains you should probably give it a miss.

 

Untitled - Tom Overs 2011

 

R&F: You’re currently working on a music project at the moment – can you tell us a bit more about it?

TO: I have two things running side by side at the moment. I have a batch of songs that I play acoustically; a few of which I’ve recently made into an EP. And then we have the electric stuff that we play as a band. I’m loving pretty much every aspect of both at the moment.

 

R&F: Do you see any similarities between your music and photography?

 

“Protools and Photoshop are often as much a curse as they are a blessing.”

 

TO: I have a preference for live-recording, which I suppose is a similarity. Click-tracks and glossy effects can make things sound way too robotic. You have to start asking questions if you’re spending more time sat at the PC than you are actually writing/shooting the stuff. Protools and Photoshop are often as much of a curse as they are a blessing. Obviously there are different production styles that will suit different genres of music, but for me I much prefer a warts-and-all approach. Imperfections are human.

 

R&F: What about that Michael Jackson statue that Mohammed Al Fayed erected at the Cottage in Fulham? Eh?

TO: (Laughs) I think I’ll reserve judgment on that one till I’ve seen it in the flesh.