Friends - Tom Hull
Photographer. Frome, Somerset, UK
Like many things in our past, some of our closest friends and collaborators have emerged through the projects we take on and the communities we immerse ourselves in. Run Dem Crew has been a huge part of that, introducing us to so many like-minded people. As Tom mentioned, we met through Sylvie, and through his passion for storytelling and capturing narratives with photography, we worked together to document the journeys of the crew and its runners Dom and Harriet, Mark, Linda, Petra, Rhada, Algy, and of course, Charlie training for the London Marathon.
How would you describe yourself, and what drives you?
I would describe myself as a photographer, but I’ve realised a lot about myself over the past few years, and although I’ve been making images since I was 15, and managed to carve out a career in the photography industry, I think more broadly of myself as a creative person.
That doesn’t necessarily mean I’m always creating photos, or art, but I believe creativity manifests itself in ways of seeing, understanding and overcoming problems in the world, and that is what I really enjoy.
What pivotal moments have shaped your journey so far?
There’s been countless ‘crux-point’ moments during my life leading to where I am today. Pivotal moments are established when you’re faced with difficult decisions and it’s the choices you make at those exact moments that shape your future.
I have always taken risks to get where I am today. After I finished A-Level photography, I then took just the second year of a National Diploma in Photography, in Brighton. My tutor on that course gave us many pieces of advice, some good, some bad, but some that definitely shaped where I am today.
He said that we should ‘break rules for our art’. I took it metaphorically to mean that we should push ourselves to find interesting places, points of view, subjects but also he meant it literally, go that bit further, cross boundaries, put yourself in positions that others wouldn’t - take risks.
The art of taking a risk is what leads you to choose either an easy path where you might know the outcome, or a more difficult one where the end result is not as clear, but getting there becomes the interesting part.
The second piece of pivotal information he gave me was that he thought I wasn’t good enough, or that the University I wanted to look at, ‘wasn’t right for me’. I wanted to look at the best college in the country, for photography, which was Bournemouth at that time. I got my portfolio together, knew what I wanted to get out of my interview on their open day and was one of a very small number who were almost given a place on the spot. It was an amazing feeling.
Another hugely pivotal moment was beginning to work with Rosie Lee, having finished 7 years of assisting, I was offered the chance to shoot some background plates for a Nike commission. Being put forward for that by an old acquaintance, Sylvie Champenois, opened an incredible amount of future opportunities that I could have never foreseen coming.
There have been many in my life, ALL of which have come from putting myself in a position to be seen, be chosen, be the one taking the opportunity.
What is your relationship with Rosie Lee, Unorthodox Blend, and/or Mark & Russell?
Toward the end of my ‘assisting career’, I used to work with some producers on their jobs, as an assistant. One was Still Productions, run by Sylvie, I worked with her on a job with a photographer called Patrick Giardino, shooting some England Rugby players for Nike. The job was commissioned by Rosie Lee in 2009/2010.
I was hungry to take any opportunity offered, and Sylvie had been asked by Mark if she knew any photographers that could help shoot some street scenes for Nike. I put myself forward for that, worked on that shoot and was fortunate to make a good connection and then work closely with Mark, Russell and the wider team for a long time.
What has come out of any relationship and collaborations?
AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT! In short, almost the entire beginning of my professional photographic career. Not only was I commissioned to work on a number of amazing projects through Rosie Lee directly, but because of working with them, and with the clients they worked with, I then worked with many other related clients.
Further from that, Mark introduced a small, running club to me in 2010, Run Dem Crew. He was running with them and was thinking of making a project based on the characters and individuals who ran with the crew. I absolutely jumped at the chance of making a longer-form project, as that’s where my true passions lay.
I started documenting the meet ups and the runs on a weekly basis and through that process I met an amazing network of creative people; art directors, agency owners, photographers, editors, stylists, DJs - it was fascinating!
After a few months of documenting the people I then started running with them, which was hard! I used to do a lot of sport when I was younger, but through a very hedonistic 20s, I hadn’t done any for 10 years. At 30, I decided I needed to change that, so I started running. I slowly found a passion for it and am thankful I can still run 10k without too much stress 15 years on. Thank you Charlie Dark and Chop for that intro!!
What does being unorthodox mean to you in your work?
For me, being unorthodox is not necessarily something I solely attribute to my work, but more my approach. From a young age my mum would always say ‘there’s no such word as can’t…’ and what she meant was that even if something is a challenge, it can be overcome, it’s a mindset.
For me, being unorthodox is this innate desire I have to achieve something that at first seems too difficult or not attainable. If someone says it’s too hard, it’s not right - I feel a deep desire to MAKE it something I can understand, overcome and harness.
What beliefs have guided you through tough decisions?
I think I can only answer that with the clarity that a bit of age and experience brings. The thing that I now notice, as a pattern, is to choose health first over anything, but I didn’t necessarily know I was doing that previously.
I’ve struggled with bouts of depression several times through my adult life and it was getting my mental health to a more balanced level first that allowed my physical health to come back which then led to my financial health becoming better. Sounds simple now, it wasn’t at the time. Family, friends, network - all those things help rebuild someone who struggles with aspects of their mental health.
What challenge in your field of work is often overlooked?
The challenge of how to continue being relevant, having a stable position in the industry, having a ‘voice’, THAT is an incredibly difficult thing. I think the answer, was to continue to evolve my interests and to stay hungry, passionate, humble and to take risks, keep putting myself in positions where I might be selected, not by hanging back and wondering ‘what if…’.
Also never ever stop learning. I’ve taught myself how to run, how to dismantle and fix bikes, how to work with wood, to renovate my house, to code websites and now I’m teaching myself finance. No one else will tell you that if you’re self-employed, it has to be a self-initiated act.
How do you balance creativity with structure / order with chaos?
That’s a great question! In truth, I’ve never been able to do that, I simply have no structure in my life, and I’ve just run with that.
When I found that there was a way to make money in photography, I was like a bloodhound trying to find all and ANY way I could get into the industry. I took every chance I could, and have been freelance since I was 23. What structure I tried to put in place at that age, like playing sport for clubs, was quickly erased because being available at all and any moment to say yes to the next photographic opportunity HAD to, and always did, take precedence.
The chaos of my life is still very much a part of my existence, and now with 3 children, things are much more difficult, but I don’t know any other way. Work always comes first, but my family is extremely important to me, so I’m in the moment of quite a transformative part of my life, looking to more modern technologies to make the next steps through life.
What cultural shifts are you noticing in your field of work?
Huge ones. I think photography has primarily been - and this may cause a stir - something that mostly men have made a career in, in the past at least. Of course there have been female photographers as well, but the industry has developed and evolved so that there are now a MUCH broader spectrum of photographers practicing, across all races, ethnicities, backgrounds, ages which is a great thing. I would hope the pre-existing ‘norm’ in business of men running the world, which we all know is nonsense and dangerous, will change more favourably over time, but who knows.
We’ve lived through an amazing change in the way photographic art and every other digital practice is showcased, created, perpetuated, shared and seen, globally, I love that, what an amazing way to learn about EVERYONE else on the planet, it’s incredible.
If you could master any skill instantly, what would it be?
Ha, well it’s not a skill, for now it’s still science fiction but perhaps not for much longer, but time travel would be one. To go and learn from ancient people and see the old traditions in practice. But in the modern age the INSTANT ability to read, understand and utilise the global financial markets. That is what I’m teaching myself to do now.
After the economy was crushed by Liz Truss and Kwarsi Kwarteng at the end of 2022, my emails stopped pinging, my phone stopped ringing, my network closed its doors. I didn’t have a job, I had no way of generating an income. I didn’t work for 7 months, which very nearly ended my career and lost us our family home, but that’s another story.
What’s one experience everyone should have at least once?
Well I was going to say to be totally, completely, emotionally and mentally at rock bottom, to know how high you can bounce back, but having had a difficult time through that happening, I actually don’t really think everyone should have that experience!
I think the feeling of giving selflessly. To give allows things to happen. To perpetually want to take, for me, is where minds are closed and interactions become toxic. I have been taken advantage of by toxic people when I’ve put myself in a position to give and to share. But that’s cool, it’s all part of the learning process.
What has inspired you lately?
I listen intently to financial and technological podcasts, my favourite for the moment being The Journeyman by Raoul Pal. Raoul has had a very interesting life, he worked as a very successful investment banker for Goldman Sachs, and is a global macro economist. He’s ‘predicted’ huge cultural and global shifts in finances and technologies and as such has been at the forefront of the new form of digital money, cryptocurrency, and how that will be adopted into our lives.
He has a section of his website Real Vision , in which he talks about the ‘exponential age’ where evolving technology becomes more powerful and more intelligent than humans can ever be.
I listen to The Small Voice podcast, with documentary photographer Ben Smith as he talks to other photographers from all genres and walk of life. He’s got a very affable way of communicating and I find it fascinating that there are many common threads throughout his conversations. I like that I feel I’m not alone, when I listen to other photographers describe their journeys!
Another specifically finance / crypto one is Bankless, with conversations with people working in the crypto, web3 and blockchain space. I see that as the future of everything, so I’m trying my best to understand as much as I can.
There’s an amazing array of interesting features on the Unorthodox Blend website, but a few that have stood out to me are the Yamaha Y/AI concept bike. I loved this because it reminded me of growing up watching Akira and Tron, plus I’ve always loved superbikes.
Another piece was this article, celebrating Rosie Lee’s 24th birthday, on the need for experimentation, which I strongly believe in as well. I think with the evolution of technologically-driven art and design practices, the blurring of the older, more analogue approaches with the more up to date ‘artificially’ created digital landscapes, creates a very interesting surface on which to produce new narratives.
And finally, I loved listening to Joseph talk about his incredible journey through life and creativity, there are many interesting conversations in the back catalogue, but this one stood out for me.
What advice would you give to young people starting out in their career?
I thought about this the other day, when I was driving back from a shoot last week.
What rang out to me, and what I have found to have led me through life are these, in no particular order:
Be hungry
Be humble
Be prepared
Be available
Be good
DON’T BE AFRAID TO TRY / FAIL / LEARN
And perhaps most importantly SAY YES
If you’re hungry, your passion for something will mean that you’re willing to push yourself much harder and much further than if you’re just trying at something because you think you should, or you’ve been told you should.
Be humble; ALWAYS be gracious and grateful, say thank you - there’s always a positive take away from even the hardest lessons.
Be ready for putting yourself in a position or situation that could open doors, and be available for when those chances arise, as they don’t come along that often, TAKE THEM WHEN THEY DO!
Be good, be a good person, be helpful, be supportive, be active, be vulnerable, be open.
There’s no such thing as failing in my opinion, it may not have gone as you planned or as you wanted it to, but in the process of trying, you learnt something extremely valuable about what to do, or what not to do if there’s a next time. Don’t be afraid of trying something.
Say YES!!! For me that has been the most positive word and opened as many doors as I have managed to open. It’s also got me into some funny and wild situations, but that’s the point of life! Without curiosity, no one would be anywhere.
How can people connect with you, get involved or take part in any of the projects you’ve highlighted above?
I don’t really know how the next few years will play out - for the moment I’m trying to position myself in a way that means I’m able to adapt to the future of modern technology.
If people want to connect with me, they can call me, text me, email me, find me on Insta. I’m around, not sure what I’ll be able to offer, but I’ll probably say yes ;)
What question would you like us to ask the next person?
With the incredibly distracting and ever-present screen-based technology around us, how do you keep yourself happy, healthy and focused on what you do, away from the screens, whilst needing to rely on digital information to some extent?
Bonus question from Marc who is the most impactful person you’ve worked with?
Hmm, that’s a great question, and one which has stumped me because I don’t know if there’s one person who can take the crown. I’ve been so fortunate to have worked with so many insanely talented people. I think when I was assisting, one of the photographers I learned the most from, not only about how to be technically proficient, but the importance of being a good all-rounder, was a Danish photographer named Henrik Knudsen. Henrik’s work is outstanding, his ability to manipulate a space with a few small adjustments, or lighting changes was really very good! I learnt a lot from him.
I also learnt a lot from other people about what not to do, which is equally invaluable in a very different way, and those people remain nameless.
I think as anyone grows as a human and a creative person, you inadvertently take small slices of other people’s character traits with you and slowly over time, hone yourself into becoming a more fine tuned version of yourself. I have met and worked with a lot of impactful people, and for that I have always been extremely grateful. I would not be here today without having met the the artists, the creatives, the disruptors that we need to build a diverse creative network and continue to be hungry to keep pushing things onwards.
LinkedIn: do have it, don’t really use it
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-hull-b1884520/
Website: http://tomhull.co.uk
yes@tomhull.co.uk - 07980310699