Elton John, 66, is releasing “The Diving Board“, his 31th studio album on Tuesday. Tim Barber is the photographer who took the shot used for the album cover. Barber grew up in Amherst Massachusetts, lived for a few years in the mountains of Northern Vermont, studied photography in Vancouver B.C. and now lives in New York City. Barber’s photos have been used by Vogue, Nike and Levi’s. Barber shares the story of this photograph in the New York Times article titled: How Elton John Chose My Photo For His Album.
“I took this photo about 10 years ago somewhere between Vancouver and Squamish, on the coast of British Columbia. I don’t actually know exactly where. It’s a kind of legendary secret swimming spot where some kids had installed a diving board on the side of a cliff. You had to park really far away and walk through the woods to get there. I was with some friends from Vancouver who knew about it. I think it was October. When I took the picture — literally, while I was pushing the button — I was thinking, “This looks amazing.” It was just a special moment and the light was crazy that day. The air was super clear. Something I strive for in my photos is to imply a greater narrative, to make the viewer wonder what happened before and what happened after. I think this picture is a good example of that. It’s also the photo of mine that people always think is fake — like that it’s been Photoshopped, or shot on a green screen. I like that. Something that was so simple and real ended up so surreal and hard to believe…”
Read more about how Elton John selected Barber’s image at this link.
References:
- New York Times Photo Essay: How Elton John Chose My Photo For His Album
- Elton John’s new Album on iTunes: The Diving Board
- Check out Tim Barber’s web site for other great photos: TimBarber.com
Reblogged this on telemagic.
Thanks for sharing.
Yes…I believe that the best photos are the ones that take you beyond the photo…that capture a feeling and that do inspire our thoughts toward the meaning of the photo.
You would know Carol, you would know.
Fascinating, and how exciting to have a photograph end up on an album, especially an Elton John album! 🙂
Yes, what a high that must be…Suzy, if you get a chance to check out his web site (the photographer’s link is above), do so. This man is talented.
Amazing photo, and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Wow….
It certainly is…
what a fascinating shot, all of the elements so perfectly aligned. t looks like he is contemplating jumping off into the unknown game called life.
Yes, don’t fear, make the jump
I want to find that spot!
Not far from my home town…wonderful vantage point.
Fab photo. I’m looking forward to hearing his new album.
Me too…
On the music side, I have to admit I haven’t listened to anything by Elton for years. I would really like to hear his style and expertise these days. Perhaps its time to expand my horizons.
Claudia, I have heard (or liked) anything except his oldies. I hear that the critics like his new album…
Perfect click! There is always so much behind a photo that a little overview would be like “Cherry on the Cake” 🙂 The above excerpt says it all.
Yes…