FEATURE:
The Blackbirds Sing at Dawn
PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Walker
Is This 2011 Photo of Kate Bush the Absolute Best Ever?
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THIS is a bit of a rushed feature…
IN THIS PHOTO: Tim Walker/PHOTO CREDIT: James Stopforth/Tim Walker Studio (via The Guardian)
as Kate Bush News shared a photo of Kate Bush that is part of a new exhibition. Every now and then you do find stuff out about Kate Bush or we get these unseen treats. I did not even know this photo, at the top of this feature, existed. Tim Walker capturing the essence of Kate Bush in one of the most astonishing photographs:
“A new exhibition by celebrated English photographer Tim Walker has opened at the National Portrait Gallery in London. Tim Walker’s Fairyland: Love and Legends runs from 9 October 2026 – 7 February 2027 and “is an exploration of queer identity, community, and love through the lens of one of Britain’s foremost photographers.” Tim Walker has spent five years on this project, a new body of photographic works, 250 specially created portraits of Queer people and their allies, built through half a decade of sustained engagement with a community the photographer has described as his own.
Included is a previously unseen portrait of Kate (with a blackbird), presented in a black frame, we think taken in 2011, around the time Kate worked extensively with Tim on her stunning imagery for the Director’s Cut album. Kate also wrote the foreword for Tim’s book Tim Walker: Story Teller, published in 2021.
From the exhibition website: “This exhibition takes visitors on a journey into Walker’s inner world – a vivid tapestry woven from his many inspirations and influences. Exuberant portraits and fantastical landscapes combine to create an unforgettable celebration. Walker’s creativity runs free, and his Fairyland is a place where everyone has the freedom to be themselves.“
Read more at the gallery website: https://www.npg.org.uk/whatson/exhibitions/2026/tim-walkers-fairyland-love-and-legends”
What strikes me is that it was taken around the time of 2011’s Director’s Cut, but it seems more connected to 2005’s Aerial. That album’s second disc, A Sky of Honey, is a summer’s day unfolding. Blackbird song included. A song, Aerial Tal, where Bush mimics a blackbird. There are examples where Kate Bush has incorporated blackbirds into her artwork, music or photos. I do love this new shot, as it captures a love of hers. This bird that means so much. Also, the look on her face is of pure contentment and peace. Instantly, this might be my favourite Kate Bush photograph. A reason why I say that is because it seems to capture something that is distinctly her. We think of Bush as someone who is very attuned to nature. Her love of the open. Perhaps this is me babbling, but I wonder how the concept came to be. Who suggested the blackbird. I understand why it could not have been included as a Director’s Cut promotional photo. One reason why I love this photo is because there are so many A.I. images of her. I have seen too many around that always horrifies me. Thankfully her music has not really been touched by A.I. and used without her permission, though I cannot say for sure. I suspect there are A.I. songs mimicking Kate Bush, but people obviously know a fake. When it comes to photos, there are some out there which she would not be happy having shared. We have not seen any ‘new’ Kate Bush photos for over a decade or so. I guess the end of 2014 was the last time she was photographed publicly. Even if this is from 2011, it is new to fans. It makes me wonder if there are any others like it. It has instantly blown me away. I love everything about it! How beautiful Kate Bush looks. The perfect shot. Maybe it would have been bettered by her being in a garden and backed by flowers or ivy. However, there is something about the bareness of the backdrop that makes you focus on the foreground.
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in a promotional image for her 2011 album, Director’s Cut
I also wonder if Kate Bush will comment on the photograph. She obviously knew it was going to be featured in this exhibition of Tim Walker’s work. You imagine there would have been outtakes and alternatives during that shoot. Not just this one image. However, how can you really better the photo that we have here?! Many people love Bush’s Hounds of Love promotional photos or from earlier than 1985. I always love the photos from 1978 when her debut, The Kick Inside, came out. What I love about this 2011 photo – we are guessing it is from then, but it checks out – is that we may not get any more promotional photos from her. When she does release a new album, will we get new shots? Maybe Bush being self-conscious ends that. A few of the images for 2011’s 50 Words for Snow, her most recent album, has her face covered or most of it covered. This very much is Kate Bush in full glory! She looks stunning of course, but she stands so proud too. It is such a powerful image. I was also not aware that Tim Walker took those Director’s Cut images. I know her brother, John Carder Bush, took some, but I forgot about Walker. A gap in my knowledge! If you are a Kate Bush fan and can get along to that exhibition, then I would urge you to do so. A Sunday treat that has sparked so much fascination from fans, it could be the absolute defining image of her. Though many would argue against that. What it does show is that there is never an end to her brilliance. These unseen photos coming to light. Bush updating fans on her website. She is very much present and always with us. When we do get joyous news of a new album, I hope that she does have some publicity photos taken. Maybe Tim Walker will work with her. Thanks to him and Kate Bush News for bringing to light this amazing image. One that could be my absolute favourite. Though I might change my mind, I cannot take my eyes off of it. Sweet, striking, beautiful and charming, it is a world-class photo of…
A true goddess.