For the series One Shot Portrait, Timothy Willcocks made portraits of creative people in Hastings and St Leonards on the south-east coast of England. Artists, designers, musicians and journalists posed for Willcocks, as he set out to take just a single shot of them with his medium format film camera. He found his subjects by putting out appeals on social media, leading to more than 150 people contacting him.
"I photographed over 150 creatives living and working in the Hastings & St Leonards area of Sussex, England in late 2017 and into 2018. I allowed myself only one shot on a 1960 Rolleiflex camera (and a few using a Fuji 6x9), a self limiting approach and one that struck a chord with almost everyone I photographed. Some have ties to the area, some have moved from elsewhere having been forced out of their homes/studios elsewhere, chiefly London and Brighton, by the onward march of gentrification. This small part of the world is made more vibrant by their presence. What struck me was the variety of creative talent in the area, and how their world view is so similar. It was also interesting how many connected for the first time as a result of this project, and I guess that says something about the unifying power of photography”.
Willcocks lives in the area and loves what he sees as the cultural richness, feeling a close affinity within the creative community. "It's about spending time to get to know the person, form an understanding of who they are, why they do what they do, what they care about."
Timothy Willocks is a UK based photographer working mostly with medium and large format film. He trained in advertising and editorial photography at Medway College of Design, Rochester, Kent, and is primarily interested in recording people and their stories. Timothy produced a book for his project called One Shot – the photobook, which is available to buy on his website.