Lenland Property Development

News & Media

Interview with Billy Plummer

08/11/2017

Who are you?

Billy Plummer. Photographer.

How would you describe what you do?

I believe there’s real magic to be found in the everyday and I spend my time revealing the extraordinary in the ordinary.

How long have you been doing it for?

I’ve been taking pictures for over 30 years.

Who are some of the most famous/interesting people you’ve shot?

Some of the more famous people I’ve shot include Tony Abbott, Molly Meldrum, Jean Claude Van Damme, Richard Branson, The NZ All Blacks and Adriano Zumbo. Sometimes, though, average people really stick with you. I’ve shot a lot of Buddhist monks in S.E. Asia and always find talking to them a very humbling experience.

What makes a portrait interesting?

What makes portraiture interesting for me is simply that humans are infinitely interesting beings that I never tire of “examining”. You can stop and fully examine the face of a person who isn’t present.

How did you come up with TheDreamsWeHave.com?

I’m fascinated by the mystery of what’s behind a face. Every face you see is a kind of enigma. A portrait is an opportunity, an invitation to explore and imagine what that person is like, what they do, what they think. Are they kind, cruel, happy, sad? What clues are in their face and what do they tell you? Being able to examine and consider a face without the person present means you see more than usual and this reveals all kinds of things about people. Asking them what their dreams are adds another dimension to this.

What does it mean to be working with Teneo and Lenland to bring these dreams to life?

I’m delighted to be bringing my vision to life with the support of Teneo and Lenland.

What’s next?

An exciting journey into the unknown. I intend to take thedreamswehave.com “on the road” to capture people & their dreams from different cultures overseas. I’m interested in what dreams we all have in common as humans, what our dreams reveal about other cultures that we would never have imagined. With the unconscious, sleep dreams. What does a Mumbai street beggar see in his sleep? I find it a fascinating new “lens” through which to see the world.

Simplified Living.