Today we’d like to introduce you to Tim Irwin.
Hi Tim, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve been a freelance documentary DP and director for over 25 years. It’s a job that I absolutely love. I live for the moments where split second creative decision making and naturally occurring moments come together in front of the camera to make something special. Those moments are so satisfying to me. After twenty-five years of documentary filmmaking, I learned that the most beautiful things usually happen in the margins. It’s the fraction of a second where the light hits just right, the subject forgets the camera is there, and everything clicks.
My Grandpa gave me my first camera in the 3rd grade. A simple kodak 110, and I immediately fell in love. I found magic in the artful side of composition and process, but I also fell in love with the idea of gear as an extension of creativity.
The Simple 90 lens was born from that mindset. I wanted something that offered a unique, expressive perspective without the clinical coldness of modern digital glass. Growing up in punk rock taught me that i didn’t need to know how to make a lens to try and make one anyway. I wasn’t trying to compete with state of the art optical labs in Germany; I was trying to build something that felt right in the hands of filmmakers and photographers who actually spend time searching for beautiful images.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s been tough for sure. I started by buying a book about lens design from the 1950’s. Most of it was over my head as someone who doesn’t have a physics degree. But I started to glean a few things, and I learned about achromatic doublets and determined that I wanted to start there. I learned about which optical “flaws” I wanted to eliminate, and which ones I wanted to embrace.
After a year of designing, testing, building, I finally came up with a design that made beautiful images. That was the Simple 90. A simple lens with a completely unique look. It’s tack sharp in the center, and that sharpness falls off the further you get from the middle of the frame.
When I first started ordering the parts, the tariffs hit and that caused all kinds of logistical and pricing uncertainties. It was deeply frustrating, but eventually I navigated those difficulties and got the glass to my house so I could start building.
It’s a homegrown operation for sure. It’s born out of the punk rock ethos that I can do this myself. I order the glass from abroad, but everything else, the design, the 3d printing of parts, and the assembly, all happen right in my home. My wife and I hand assemble, package, and ship every lens right from our home in Lehi.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m still a freelance filmmaker. I don’t think i can ever give that up. It’s a part of me, a part of who I am. I love the process. When I am asked to be a part of telling someone’s story, I feel a deep sense of responsibility to do right by that person. They are trusting me with their story, and I want to honor that trust by bringing all my skill to make the absolutely best project for them.
The simple 90 wasn’t something i was expecting to turn into a business, but people have loved it and we’ve sold lenses all over the world. People are using them in real productions and making amazing art with it. That part is deeply satisfying to me, seeing the creative things people are doing with it, that’s what drives me to make more of them.
What’s next?
I’m always looking for new projects to shoot or direct. But really, I just want to keep doing what I’m doing. I love the freelance storytelling life. I love tinkering and coming up with solutions to problems. I do have ideas for new lenses so I want to pursue that. I’ve been working on something in the 50mm range, but it has been challenging and much more difficult. I’m learning ways to work through those technical hurdles. Other than that, just getting out on a mountain bike or a splitboard as much as I can.
Pricing:
- Simple 90 lenses are about $120 depending on the camera mount
Contact Info:
- Website: https://irwinworkshop.com
- Instagram: functionalfilms
