Header photo: Stairing by photographer Toby Lewis with model Polly Darling

We love shining the limelight on fabulous creatives in the PurplePort community, sharing their unique journeys and creative processes.

In this episode of FEATURED, we interviewed Toby Lewis, a hobbyist PurplePort photographer with more than 13 years of experience based in Bristol, United Kingdom. 

Josie Mae by photographer Toby Lewis

Power Struggle by photographer Toby Lewis with model Ivy Huxley

I'm Not a Little Girl by photographer Toby Lewis with model BelleApostolova

About PurplePort photographer Toby Lewis

Toby is a frustrated artist in the body of a computer programmer. Born in England, his father's work took the family to Atlanta, Georgia, in the USA at age seven. After attending university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he returned to his home country and lived in London. 

From a young age, Toby spent his free time on creative activities, from building models and gadgets to drawing and photography.

At university, he studied maths and economics but took a drawing class for non-majors, which opened up his artistic horizons. The class included life drawing and introduced the practice of keeping a sketchbook. He used to go to the local natural history museum every week and sketch the bones and taxidermied animals as well as the statues in the sculpture hall.

Living in London for fifteen years, career and home renovation left little time for art, which had to be satisfied by making elaborate popup Christmas cards for friends and family.

In 2003, he moved to Bristol and rediscovered photography. Initially dusting off his 35mm camera, he soon switched to digital. Being in a new location, he would set off early and explore the city and its surroundings with his camera.

In 2016, a local studio was running group model photography sessions advertised on social media. He had wanted to try this for a long time but had not known where to start. After six months of sessions there, he was hooked and started organising his own shoots.

Since joining our creative community in 2016, Toby has acquired almost 100 glowing references on PurplePort, and his fabulous work has been featured in the Front Page Image (FPI) Collection.

Neon by photographer Toby Lewis with model Ivy Huxley

Across the Universe by photographer Toby Lewis with model Rebecca Tun

Extreme Blonde by photographer Toby Lewis 

FEATURED Interview with PurplePort photographer Toby Lewis

How did you get into photography? What did you do before becoming a photographer?

I was given an old box camera when I was about five years old. After moving to the USA, I was given a 35mm rangefinder camera, which I used mostly on family holidays as we toured around the country.

In high school, I had an SLR and took photos for the school newspaper and yearbook, and was president of the photography club. The school had a dark room, and I used to process the negatives and do the black-and-white enlargements.

A family acquaintance had a colour darkroom and offered me an opportunity to enlarge some of my colour photos. One of these was a sunset photo of a mass balloon ascent which I entered into a school art competition and won the photography prize.

Daylight by photographer Toby Lewis with model Rebecca Tun

Rose Garden by photographer Toby Lewis with model Louisa3

Flick by photographer Toby Lewis with model Inkeri

How do you prepare for photoshoots?

There is a video called Everything is a Remix by Kirby Ferguson that gives a great insight into the process of creativity in art, invention and ideas. The premise is that nothing new comes out of a vacuum and that most creativity comes from copying what already exists, making modifications and combining things in new variations.

It's how biological evolution works, and the same applies to creativity. For example, the Beatles, who were always very generous in citing their influences, tried to copy other styles but ended up making something new and revolutionary. In turn, the Beatles' influence is still present in much of the pop landscape.

Any shoot usually starts with me seeing something I like and then collecting examples and related images. This often changes the main focus of the shoot idea but certainly builds a body of ideas to work with. Sometimes, this is also about trying new techniques, styles or subjects rather than trying to recreate something that has been seen before.

A key stage is producing a set of mood boards. These help to sort the ideas into groups and act as visual reminders or checklists of the things I want to include in the shoot. Once the mood boards are more or less final, I look at what is needed in terms of props, outfits and effects.

I often make things for the shoot, including outfits, when the theme calls for more costume than fashion. I have a 'Blue Peter' type store of sheet cardboard and other materials so I can make other props. I have also made special lighting effect boxes, including a projector box, which allows me to use a strobe to project printed A4 transparencies on or behind the model.

Generally, the shoot idea comes first, and then I look for a model that suits the style of shoot. I also have a list of models I'd like to work with, so that is where I look first, but then I just search PurplePort to find a suitable model.

I try to communicate as much about the shoot to the model as possible beforehand by sending both the mood boards and written descriptions of the plan. This helps ensure we are in sync on the day and can both actively contribute.

Bubble Bubble by photographer Toby Lewis with model A V X

Attitude by photographer Toby Lewis with model Ivy Huxley

Stairing by photographer Toby Lewis with model Polly Darling

What style of photoshoot do you enjoy working on the most?

I like trying new things and try not to repeat too much. However, if one is learning and improving through experience, it can be interesting to revisit themes and ideas after a gap and see how the execution has changed. 

But rather than a type of photoshoot, one of the things I come back to is the art of at the end of the nineteenth century and the start of the twentieth. Ironically, it was the rise of photography that forced a reevaluation of the role of art, which had, to some extent, been documentary. Freed from this task, art was searching for new meanings and styles, and began to infuse more ideas as well as simply looking at aesthetics. Art movements had manifestos; the old masters just painted commissions. 

You have the arts and crafts movement and the Pre-Raphaelites in the UK, who were seeking a reset to art and reconnecting it to everyday life rather than myths or royalty. In Europe, painters such as Gustave Klimt and Egon Schiele in Vienna worked with symbolism and the art nouveau with Alphonse Mucha, with art pushing into design. Then came the Dadaists, Futurists, Surrealists and Cubists. Personally, I have found the Impressionists and then the abstract Impressionists less interesting. I love Duchamp, but I feel conceptual art has been telling the same jokes he did since then.

Although I like much modern art, figurative art is less highly regarded than it used to be. However, for me, I see art about the human condition, and so pictures of people have the most resonance. We have poetry because words alone cannot express emotion, and art gives us a connection to universal aspects of the human condition. When we see art that moves us, we connect with the subject with the artist; we realise things we feel but cannot express are felt by others. This is a bond which we rarely find elsewhere.

Working the Furnace by photographer Toby Lewis with model Franky trimm

Madonna by photographer Toby Lewis with model MoonChild777

Joan of Arc - The Prisoner III by photographer Toby Lewis

What's the most interesting photoshoot you've ever worked on?

Shoots are a process, and it would be hard to pick one that is significantly more interesting than others. I think what makes shoots interesting is the interaction with the model.  

I am lucky to have worked with several models multiple times. This changes the dynamic because you are no longer strangers and have more of a working relationship. Obviously, if you are both working together again, it means the previous shoots have gone well.

There is also a difference between paid shoots and collaborations. There is pressure on a collaboration to produce something the other person will be pleased with, but it removes the burden of coming up with everything oneself. 

I have been very fortunate to work with Eva Mengling, who is local to me. We have collaborated more than a dozen times over the last three years. We have done a variety of studio and location shoots, and she has brought friends in as a second model on four occasions. So, in terms of learning, experience and practice, this has been a tremendously important relationship to me.

Cognition by photographer Toby Lewis with model Eva Mengling 

Geisha by photographer Toby Lewis with model Eva Mengling 

What do you most enjoy about being a photographer?

This may sound funny, but "having the photos" gives me great pleasure. Much of the process of producing an image is work. I enjoy the shoot time too but find it quite draining, as one is juggling lots of things at once (technical aspects of the camera and lighting, communication with the model, keeping track of time and ensuring shots include all the things intended, plus the stress of travel, etc.). 

The photos come from having a creative itch and, in possessing them, they scratch it. Going through the photos later, I can view them with a bit more distance while fondly remembering the shoot and just find it makes me very happy.

Headphones by photographer Toby Lewis model MoonChild777

Curls by photographer Toby Lewis with model skycladpixie

Doppelganger by photographer Toby Lewis with model Sam Patterson

What would you describe as your main strengths as a photographer?

I think I am strong on composition and story. It is easy to think that if you have a good subject, this will automatically translate into great photos, but that is not so. I think my reasonable grounding in art, although not formal, and the fact I have regularly spent time looking at other photos have helped give me a reasonable eye for finding interesting compositions. 

I also like to feel there is some sort of a story in the photos. Photos of a model in an empty studio space can be good, but adding more of a setting, either with a set or location, can give images a sense that they have an existence beyond the frame and perhaps some mystery or unanswered questions.

I find that naturalistic images work well in this regard. If a subject does not look posed, then it's life, not a photoshoot. So you are looking at a moment in a continuum and not something abstracted and placed under hot lights.

The Cubist by photographer Toby Lewis with model Charliee.

The Red Man by photographer Toby Lewis with model Andy Poole

What's your absolute favourite photo?

They say go with your first thought, so I would have to say the Annie Leibovitz photo of John and Yoko on the floor. This does all of the things I've been talking about. It is a photo of people, and there is a story.

John is vulnerable both by being naked and he is expressing affection to Yoko while she is passive and looking blankly at the camera. The image draws us in, we consider our own relationships and how we have given and received love, how we have felt vulnerable, questioned our own bravery. 

If you have ever seen the contact sheets from the shoot, there were many more normal shots around the living room, but half a dozen images, probably all shot in less than a minute, stand out strongly. I also like the unconventional angle of looking directly down from above, which turns the familiar into something slightly unusual. It's a masterpiece.

Garden of Eden by photographer Toby Lewis with model UKCrystal

Mighty and Strong by photographer Toby Lewis

Is there anyone in particular who inspires you?

I think I've mostly covered that in terms of artists. There are plenty of people doing great work on PurplePort, but there are too many to list. I am pleased to have worked with some models here who I find inspiring.

The Gathering by photographer Toby Lewis with model Arabella Black

Green Dress by photographer Toby Lewis

What advice would you give to a photographer just starting out?

If someone is looking to get into model photography, then the best advice I could give is to join PurplePort. And I'm not just saying that to win favour here. It is just that it has been such an enabling resource. It puts you in touch with a whole community of like-minded people.

Being able to see a constant stream of work by others is invaluable. It can be inspiring, and it is a really good way to improve one's understanding of photographic techniques. Because you have your own experience, you can look at what other people are doing and understand their process, seeing what works and what doesn't.

It would be almost impossible for a hobbyist like me to find and work with the number and variety of models without a site like PurplePort. I've looked at other sites, but they do not have the numbers needed or the same focus.

The site's reference and attribution systems really make it work well. References are so important for safety and for people to demonstrate their reliability. 

The attribution system is also excellent, and it is a shame that some people do not give credit where credit is due. Some models like to project a certain image or simply don't update their profiles as often as they might. Being able to search for their work on photographer portfolios is really useful to see a model's range and current look. 

The attribution system also allows people involved to remove the attribution if they would prefer. When photographers put a model's name in the title, description, or album name, it is attribution, but you cannot search for it, and the model cannot remove it.

Stunning Creatures by photographer Toby Lewis with model JordanEbbitt

With the Horses by photographer Toby Lewis with model Saf_Edwards

One final question. Pineapple on pizza, yes or no?

Yes, duh!

Something in the Air by photographer Toby Lewis

Loving the Alien by photographer Toby Lewis with model Emma Fields

Dance for Joy by photographer Toby Lewis with model noorie anna

Thanks again for speaking with us and sharing your creative journey, Toby Lewis. 

We hope you all enjoyed this interview. Check out the links below for more of Toby Lewis' work!

Here's where you can find more of Toby Lewis' work:

PurplePort: Toby Lewis

Instagram: tobyinbristol

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