A Word With Tim Douglas

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This story may take a while to upload depending on your connection but Tim Douglas' images of underground infrastructure are spellbinding. If you hear the sound of a mysterious camera clicking away somewhere under your feet, chances are it’s Tim Douglas. Member of underground exploration group the Cave Clan, Tim has been checking out and capturing the sights hidden underneath Adelaide since he was a kid. After a lifetime underground, Tim’s incredible photographs are seeing the light of day for the first time right here – and we took the opportunity to ask him about steam tunnels, box cars, and just how you get someone to hold still for 6 hours while you take a happy snap.
 
Do you reckon you would have gotten into photography without the exploring?
Tim Douglas: Definitely not. Well, at least I wouldn’t have found something that I really dug taking photos of.
 
What made you first want to check out underground Adelaide?
Tim Douglas: I guess that it’s a real cliché sort of response. Everyone sort of says they’ve just done it their whole life kind of thing… Just being nocturnal for one. Being that it’s something to do that’s free. And that’s pretty much why I liked it.
 
And how’d you meet the guys that were already down there?
Tim Douglas: Back in Adelaide (Cave Clan) started in 92, but then there was kind of a lull period and basically it was active in all states in Australia, but Adelaide kind of died off… And in 2002 we ended up revamping it back up, the four of us, over a couple of years. We started going interstate for all the meet-ups, the expos with the other guys. So we kind of started it (in Adelaide) – but I guess started it back up again.
 
 
 
How often do you meet?
Tim Douglas: It’s real hard to determine now, because it’s just become my social group. In the clan are my best friends – there was a book written about exploring, and the guy in it said it’s real hard not to become close friends with everyone you explore with, because when you’ve got a group of people that are doing illegal things, you just learn to trust each other more than you would regular people.
 
Like The Goonies.
Tim Douglas: Yeah, that’s where it’s comes from! I used to love that movie, hey.
 
And what do you need to go underground?
Tim Douglas: Just spirit and a torch really, to be honest. I don’t know. That’s about it – that’s what’s so good about it, it’s free.
 
 
You’ve been under Melbourne.
Tim Douglas: Yeah, I’ve travelled all over Australia. Way too much. It’s taken me so many years to get overseas because I’ve spent all my money just going back and forth between cities. It was definitely my life for about 3 or 4 years. It’s sort of died off a bit now, but for 3, 4 years someone would say “Hey, we just found this thing in Sydney!”, and I’d be there in a few days. It definitely took over my whole life.
 
And how does Adelaide measure up?
Tim Douglas: It’s relaxed, but in terms of amazing infrastructure, we don’t have much. Especially underground. But everyone always digs it. If you’re here for two weeks, there’s lot of cool interesting, very different, unique things to do. And Adelaide’s really starting to develop quicker, so there’s a lot less stuff just sitting around.
 
How does it all fit in with your art? Why did you want to start capturing what you were seeing on film?
Tim Douglas: What I started using it as was to explain to my mum what I was doing, really… To get her to understand it was easy, but to get her to appreciate it was pretty hard. So photos really helped with that.
 
 
Now you said film, not digital?
Tim Douglas: Yeah, I’m film all the way. It’s been so long now that I kind of really rep it up as well! I love my film. But if I was going to start it all again, I’d definitely go digital - the learning curve’s quicker. I can shoot either now, so I may as well stick with film.
 
What sort of format are you using?
Tim Douglas: It’s 35mm, it’s definitely always 35.
 
Can you tell us a bit about the technique?
Tim Douglas: 10 minute (exposures) is definitely not an exaggeration. I’ve done up to of 5 or 6 hour (exposures) before – you spend the whole night just doing one shot. (But) ten minutes is probably a regular exposure time for night time on slow film. Because using slide film you use a super-slow iso, so you just have to keep it open for ages. So in the city, if I’m taking any rooftop shots, that’s F8, four minutes, roughly. If you want to get the aperture up there, that’s 10 minutes quite easily.
 
 
 
 
And how do you find travelling underground or on rooftops with the tripod, and camera?
Tim Douglas: Yeah, it’s been tough at points… It’s always strange going back to exploring after I’ve lived with my camera on my back, doling it for so many years. When I eventually stop bringing it along to just go to the social things, I’m so nimble just going up ladders. I suddenly have huge amounts of room!
Have you ever been in any dangerous situations?
Tim Douglas: Nothing too out of control. Probably the time when I’ve freaked out the most was in Brisbane climbing Story Bridge. Just climbing up the outside of it, and there’s these joins you have to go between – just sort on the pylon side. And there’s one bit where you have to stretch further than your body can reach and pull yourself up... It’s craziness.
 
Was it worth it?
Tim Douglas: Yeah it was mad worth it! And this is the great thing and what I really dig about exploring as well – it was great because once you get through it you realise your limits, and its kind of almost a very spiritual sort of experience... I used to be afraid of heights and I used to be claustrophobic. I got pulled out of a cave when I was younger, and even going down waterslides I used to freak out – but I’ve come over both those fears – obviously, in time. That’s the best thing about it really.
 
 
Where’s the best place in Adelaide to go underground?
Tim Douglas: Well, I'm a real fiend for very dodgy stuff. So I’d probably say hospital tunnels or university steam tunnels.
 
University steam tunnels? Sounds dangerous!
Tim Douglas: Not so much dangerous, just dodgy! In terms of public underground, a drain that we call Adelaide Darkie, which is just under the Wine Centre, just off Nth Tce. & Hackney Rd. That’s probably the coolest and most historical drain to check out for anyone interested.
 
When you’re setting up for a shot, what’s involved? Do you have to stay still for ten minutes?
Tim Douglas: A lot of it is that, or telling other people to hold still for a good ten minutes. Because I’m more documenting rather than creating art, the art just sort of came naturally. I never set out for it to be artistic, but in terms of making things look very appealing it just happened... It’s kind of all subconscious to be honest, really. I sit there and do the math when I’m looking at something – but I don’t take a photo unless something inside is telling me to take it.
 
Usually the self portrait thing or having someone in it isn’t (about art) – I step back and look at my photos sometimes, sort of third-person style, and see that there’s a lot of feeling being evoked by having that person in the photo. But it’s not about that, it’s more about scale and to show that someone was there.
 
 
Now you’re off to Canada – are we losing you for good?
Tim Douglas: On the 20th of November I actually start at the ski fields, working there in the ski shop. So I’ll do that for 6 months, then I’m going to head off over to the East side of Canada. I work at the airport here, so I’m going to try and get a job at the airport – maybe in Montreal or Toronto or something – and that’s just to save up some cash. Where I actually want to take my photos is on freight trains.
 
What’s the hardest thing with freight hopping?
Tim Douglas: Not getting busted. Keeping yourself ready for anything – it’s a really on edge thing to do. The third time I did Adelaide to Melbourne (freight hopping), I fell asleep and ended up getting stuck halfway to Melbourne… Keeping yourself alert is real tough. You’re out in the wind, you get dehydrated, it’s colder than you can imagine.
 
What’s next?
Tim Douglas: I want to do this trip in the States - just going coast to coast on freight trains and making a book. That's hopefully the future: a photography book. Maybe some words of philosophy of something - some sort of cheese... If people dig it and I get (more) jobs - even better.