Interview by Vidabeth Bensen and Forrest Greenslade April 11, 2022
Photographer Timothy Dowdall shares a rural Chatham County home and studio with his painter wife Nancy Ann Moore. They will exhibit their art together the first two weeks in December at the 2022 Chatham Studio Tour.
Timothy started taking pictures as early as age of 11, his first camera was a Kodak instamatic camera purchased with blue chip stamps. Timothy was struck with photographer Robert Freeman’s photograph of the Beatles on the cover of Meet the Beetles in 1964. He was taken by the lighting in that cover shot and has spent his career capturing the light and shadows in his own work. ”In my photographs, I hope people see the light first.”
“My professional career really started in Hollywood in 1980 when I took a job managing a small camera store on the sunset strip. Right next door was the studio of one of the most eccentric people I have ever met, Hungarian Photographer Martin Szipal.” He was known as Martin S. Martin in Hollywood. “I began hanging out with him and sometimes assisting him in both the studio and the darkroom.”
Timothy started taking his camera everywhere including shows at clubs like the Palomino Club in North Hollywood, or the Troubadour in Hollywood. That soon led to freelance jobs shooting live music for a few prominent public relations firms. He has photographed concerts of performers like Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Neil Diamond, Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris and others. He also Freelanced for an entertainment columnist in the LA Herald Examiner. In addition to his photography, he spent 10 years as a sales representative for Vivitar Corporation and 17 years with Whole Foods Market in marketing and as a body care buyer.
Timothy primarily creates black and white photographic portraits. “For me, black and white captures the message that lies beneath the surface of color. I do reach for color when the image demands it. I am looking for different ways to approach my art, it’s what drives me creatively.” He employs both film and digital photography – 35mm, medium format and 4×5 cameras. “In my portraiture I strive to create a connection with my subject and when that happens it is communicated to the viewer. As for working with musicians and artists, I absolutely love it, I admire all artists anyway and I love that they come to the session with creative ideas and are open to mine”. He still loves photographing musicians on stage and in the studio and has worked with several local musicians to create CD cover art.
Timothy Dowdall’s photography can be seen on his website and on his Chatham Artists Guild web presence.
Purchase artworks from Timothy at Handmade. Art. Cards.
