William Harvey Howe

Words: Morgan Rudolph
Images: William Harvey Howe

We stop and smell the roses with experimental photographer William Harvey Howe. Turning our focus toward his portfolio of intimate floral still lifes, life in Paris and coriander.

William Harvey Howe

Words: Morgan Rudolph
Images: William Harvey Howe

We stop and smell the roses with experimental photographer William Harvey Howe. Turning our focus toward his portfolio of intimate floral still lifes, life in Paris and coriander.

What’s currently in your camera bag? Right here and now I have the Voigtländer Bessa L with the 15mm aspherical lens attached, which is currently my go-to, two rolls of Ilford film, my restaurant voucher card, my headphones (they are an essential) and two Twix for snacking along the way.

I definitely have a soft spot for dark spaces

and emptiness.

You work at ACNE STUDIOS and recently shot their after-show during PFW-do you have a favourite image from the event? Yes, I have a couple! It would probably stand between the pair dancing in sync or the white t-shirt standing out within the large empty darkness. I definitely have a soft spot for dark spaces and emptiness.

Who is a better subject, plants or people? Plants probably and specifically flowers, because when I sit down and prepare to shoot a flower an sense of relaxation rushes through my body. Just focusing entirely on the living yet silent object, observing the minute details within and simply being pulled in. Hyperfocus, I would say it is, or as the first definition on google says “Hyperfocus refers to an intense fixation on an interest or activity for an extended period of time. People who experience hyperfocus often become so engrossed they block out the world around them. Children and adults with ADHD often exhibit hyperfocus when working intently on things that interest them.”; this is me!

You capture flowers so delicately, roughly how many species have you documented? Oh, I don’t know, maybe around 60 or 70. To be honest I don’t keep track of the species, what they are called and where they are from and so on. I really prefer to just browse flower shops and parks and spot interesting shapes and textures. In Stockholm I had a great relationship with a florist, Christoffer, and his crew, lovely people. I would walk in once a week, check what they had just received, I would know when they got new deliveries and when certain species would be in season etc. It got to a point where they were finding odd and abnormal plants and putting them aside for me, that’s what I call amazing service. So if you happen to be in the old town in Stockholm, Sweden, make sure you swing by Christoffers Blommor to see an extraordinary display of flora.

Which specimen was your favourite to photograph? That would have to be the large dried poppy seed pods that I received for my birthday in 2021. Such a simple plant yet when seeing the image thereafter, wow, it looked like some alien life form. I could just imagine them towering over us as tiny humans when nature wants to take over again. The details in their texture are like a rough and tough skin damaged by the elements, yet at the same time so fragile. The photo I took of them would be magnificent as a gigantic print, with these heads atop the slim stalks looming over you as you stand and observe.

Flowers offer some of the most vibrant pigments known to man, why do you choose to capture them sans colour? Texture, texture, texture. Everything is about texture for me, photos, food, fashion. With colour you lose the focus, you get too many distractions, there is too much information. The same way I shoot the flowers, 100% focus, knowing exactly where your subject is, keeping it simple. That’s actually one of my life mottos, keep it simple.

Do you fancy shooting many other subjects? I love architecture, animals and would also like to work more with jewellery and accessories. I’ve started venturing into the world of street photography and especially photos that are unclear and moving. As a complete opposite of my floral work, I see it as a challenge and it excites me to let myself go a little and see the space around me as it really is, always moving.

Which parts of Paris are the most photogenic? The empty spaces. When I find a quiet large open space with no people I immediately reach for my camera. When the subway platforms are empty and when the streets are deserted. It’s an astonishing yet calming feeling when you feel alone in this grand city.

What sets these areas apart? The emptiness.

Top 3 favourite photographers? Irving Penn, Tyler Shields and one I just came across recently, Thierry Urbain.

What age did you first pick up a camera? Where did the influence come from? Oooh must have been when I was 12 or 13. I have always had an art interest going through design phases, fashion phases, architecture phases. So I think I have settled on one that I feel like would love to explore as much as possible and that I never get tired of. When I was young my family bought a new digital camera, although now all I do is analogue, and it was a family camera however I was given priority access to it. And from then I have always loved capturing photos. Taking photography weekend and evening courses from a young age and most recently completing a fine art photography course in Sweden.

You are originally from the UK but grew up in Sweden. Why the move? How has this bi-cultural environment affected your creative output? Parents moved when I was six and looking back at it, it was tough in the beginning, knowing limited Swedish and starting a new all Swedish school, but it was an incredible decision by my parents. I can’t thank them enough, perfect parents, always let me be free and do my own thing and at the same time applying the perfect amount of pressure, I miss them every day. So with this move I can definitely see I developed a Swedish design, minimalist mind-set, however I still feel British and probably always will. I think the Brit in me comes out in my actions and how I approach people and situations and then the work I create and the final products are definitely more Swedish.

What age will you make your peace with having already taken your best image? Next week maybe?, to put it simply, I don’t know. I’m not striving to create one amazing piece but rather create a huge archive. I definitely have some favourites but they all are favourites for different reasons. But fuck it, lets say 42 and from that day on it will just be darkroom printing from the hundreds of thousands of photos I will have taken and then curating my own exhibitions.

Do you play any competitive sports? Yes, football, I live and breathe it. I played for the same club in Sweden for 16 years, from the age of 6 to 22. Värtans IK, my second family in Stockholm. It was how my social life started in Sweden, where I learnt my first Swedish lingo. I don’t have any tattoos but if I was to ever get one, it would have something to do with this club. When I play my mind leaves the real world, it’s, again, 100% focused on the task at hand. It resets my body and wakes me back up. Even if we would lose a match or had a bad practice I still felt better than before. The ability to escape everything for a short period of time is extremely important to me and the way I do it is to play football. Some of my closest friends know that if I’m out at some odd hour playing football, it’s because my mind hasn’t been in the right place recently and I really needed to kick a ball around. For me football is all about mental relaxation, I need it to not get anxious or fall into a depression and the exercise and the teammates and friends are just an incredible bonus. But due to my move to Paris I had to, with extreme sadness, leave my football team behind. But, I did bring my boots and shin pads with me and I’m currently looking for a team (and an apartment to rent). So if anyone knows of a team in Paris that’s looking for players don’t hesitate to send me a message on instagram!

Entree or dessert? Baked sweet things are one of my soft spots. But I would say I still prefer savoury over sweet.

What’s the last thing that made you laugh? Hmmmm… probably some highly inappropriate, absolutely not politically correct tik tok sent to me by Thomas or Hanna; you know who you are.

On a scale of 1-10 how much do you enjoy coriander? A solid 4 out of 10. Nothing outrageous, just a bunch of leaves with little taste, but can be used as pleasant garnish.

Photographers often romanticise film [compared with digital], are you for or against this notion? Personally I don’t romanticise film however I will always prefer it. The reason I use film is not because it’s timeless or a trend or whatever, it’s the physicality and tangibility of film that I appreciate. I much rather being able to hold a photo in my hands than stare at it on a screen, that’s also the reason for my darkroom prints. Again being able to work with my hands and create physical work often aiming to construct pieces that have several layers and that work on different levels more than just 2D.

Go-to film stock? Why? Ilford Delta 100, my favourite, sharpness, lack of grain, contrast at the correct amounts are all there. Especially when working medium format, wow! However due to recent shortages in the film world I have had to resort to Ilford’s FP4 Plus which is very similar. Delta is definitely better but FP4 has enough to be a contender. Slightly more grain and maybe not as sharp and also slightly less contrast. I choose Ilford over Kodak because Ilford’s contrast is richer, it costs less and again for medium format so much easier to use, loading and removing film from film backs and also in preparation for developing the film.

Where does all your pocket money go? Film, food and beer.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, why are photographers paid significantly less than copywriters? Are they? The whole monetisation of photography is still something I’m trying to wrap my head around. Working out how to price my pieces is, and I think I speak for many, the trickiest thing when it comes to being an artist. But it’s all about your name and recognition of course, so until that day it’s just, as Rihanna says, work work work work work.

What’s your ideal alternate reality/parallel universe? Silence. Communicating without words, like when we interact with animals, however still being able to listen to music in our headphones. Just where nobody tries to dominate and where everyone has patience and respect. A world where people don’t make 2 minute meetings into 20 minute meetings, would also be lovely.

You’ve built an impressive portfolio of work, when are you exhibiting next? Next summer here in Paris possibly. Most of my work is in Sweden, especially the larger pieces and that’s what I want to show, so I think the next step is to get back to certain darkroom habits and start creating works that are for an upcoming exhibition and then start hunting for ideal locations. I came into contact with the wonderful people at Studio Vermes in Paris and they have a studio with a darkroom attached which is what I was hoping to find when I decided to move here. So soon I will be back, spending hours on end hiding in the darkness appearing hours later with something or maybe nothing. That’s the beauty of it, you can never force it, it never goes to plan, always changing, always moving. I also want to stretch my limit with the size of my prints so I will need an exhibition space that amplifies that feature. There is definitely also something about finding a space that is a contrast to the upright, minimalist, controlled floral work that I can see happening. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

Describe that one photograph that got away. I can’t think of one at the moment. But it’s all the times something or someone speeds past you and you just think to yourself, what if I had had my camera up and ready. Hundreds of times a day, everyday.

What’s new? What’s next? What’s for dinner? New, being able to work with the remarkable Studio Vermes and use their darkroom and get back to printing. Next, find an apartment, scout for exhibition locations, more studio work again and just keep shooting. And for dinner today I am luckily at some friends place, they have been so kind to me. Moving here by myself, they are taking care of me and helping me integrate into french culture. Tonight Jin is cooking a steak dish with mashed potatoes, mustard and balsamic vinegar caramelized onions, a salad and a Choron sauce. He knows what he’s doing in the kitchen with an internship at an extremely high end restaurant here in Paris.