Spend time, build relationships, and wait for moments to unfold.

Introduction

Tim Smith is a photojournalist by profession, but his personal work takes the form of long-term immersive documentary. A Manitoban, these documentary projects focus on the vast plains of the North American prairie. While this is a region that maintains a certain mythic status in the imagination, it is one often neglected in the continent’s contemporary visual chronicle. This is an omission that Tim Smith has worked hard to rectify. His photographs bring a lively and empathic eye to the experiences of those who call the prairies home. And among these projects, the best-known documents the lives of the region’s Hutterite communities.

Founded by Jakob Hutter during the Radical Reformation in sixteenth-century Europe, the Hutterites are one of the many Protestant sects that formed in rejection of the Roman Catholic establishment. It was a turbulent, bloody period and for much of their subsequent history, Hutterites were persecuted across Europe. In the late nineteenth-century they moved en masse to the Dakota territories of the United States. Yet here too, during World War One, they were persecuted, this time for their pacifist beliefs. They migrated again, moving north into Canada – though, after the war was over, some moved back to the Great Plains of the United States. Today, Canada and the USA are the only two countries where Hutterites colonies are still to be found.

Hutterites are Anabaptists. That is, they practice adult baptism with each individual deciding for themselves if and when they are ready to make the commitment to the spiritual and social traditions of the group. They live in small, self-sufficient, and relatively closed communities they call colonies. Here, they maintain strong social bonds with an emphasis on the collective whole rather than the individual. While conservative in their values, they differ from other post-Reformation Anabaptist sects such as the Amish and the Mennonites in their emphasis on shared property and their willingness to embrace newer technologies that help them to become more productive.

Made over the past fifteen years, Tim Smith’s work constitutes what may well be the most extensive photographic documentation of Hutterite culture ever produced. Published and exhibited throughout the world, his images capture the depth and texture of their community life with quiet clarity and grace.

Alasdair Foster

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Interview

How would describe your approach to photography?

My professional background is in photojournalism, but my personal work takes a very different approach. I am something of an introvert and have come to realise that my strengths lie in being quiet and slow, which adds depth and complexity to the work.

You have been photographing Hutterite communities for fifteen years. How did the project first begin?

It was part intention and part accident… I had wanted to find a story I could really spend time with – an antidote to daily news cycle that drove my photojournalistic career. Something I could pursue at my own pace and in my own way, without having to answer to an editor or hit a deadline.

In May of 2009, I was exploring the prairies outside of my hometown of Brandon and came across women from Deerboine Colony planting vegetables in their communal garden. I asked if I could take some photographs and they agreed. From that moment I knew I wanted to keep going back, so I approached the minister of the colony, Tom Hofer, to seek permission. Over a series of meetings, I showed him some of my previous work and discussed my interest in Deerboine Colony. At the same time, I began reading every book and paper I could find about Hutterite history and culture, which helped me further my conversations with Tom.

He agreed to allow me to keep returning to Deerboine – not because he was particularly interested in the project, but because he felt the colony had nothing to be shy about. I’ve met a lot of Hutterites who are wary of outsiders who all too often misrepresent their communities through lack of nuance and reductive stereotypes. So, I’m grateful Tom took a chance on me. Years later, he joked that when I first introduced myself and asked permission to return, he considered burying me and my car somewhere on the colony and claiming to anyone who asked that he had never heard of me… [laughs]

[Left] © Tim Smith ‘Branding, castrating, and vaccinating calves. Forty Mile Colony, Montana’ 2023
[Right] © Tim Smith ‘A woman holds a scalpel for castrating calves. Forty Mile Colony, Montana’ 2023

What was it you saw in the Hutterite colony that captured your imagination?

In the beginning, I was attracted to how different everything about their way of life felt – the clothes, the traditional way of doing things… But over the years I became more interested in the things we have in common that can tie together people with vastly different cultures and beliefs. I think we are losing that sense of connection in our current society. Among the Hutterite communities, everyone works together and helps out. As an example, there are only thirty-one members of the Forty Mile Colony in Montana, which relies on cattle as its main source of income. When it was time to vaccinate, brand, and castrate hundreds of calves – an intense and chaotic few days – men and women from other colonies in Montana, Washington state, and Saskatchewan came out to help.

I was also attracted to how the life of colonies unfolds. Growing vegetables, raising stock. Changes in clothing and technology. Watching children grow up, young adults get married and start their own families… documenting all these changes became essential to my work.

[Left] © Tim Smith ‘Children play tag on a pyramid of straw bales on a warm August evening. Spring Valley Colony, Manitoba’ 2010
[Right] © Tim Smith ‘Kids swim in Pine Creek on a hot July evening. Pine Creek Colony, Manitoba’ 2020

There is always something interesting happening. Kids playing together outdoors is a constant sight in these communities. Such a contrast to what I see – or don’t see – much of the time in cities where everyone is too distractedly busy.

Did you always see this as a long-term project?

When I began, I absolutely wanted to spend a chunk of time devoted to it, but in my head that meant maybe a year. The more I got to know the communities, the longer the project became. I came to understand that to portray their culture accurately meant documenting it as broadly as possible. I started at Deerboine Colony but have now photographed at over three dozen colonies throughout Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Montana.

How did you build the Hutterites’ trust in what you were doing?

My approach was absolutely dictated by the amount of time it took to build relationships and get to know the dynamics of each colony. I have learned to become comfortable with the word no. For every colony and individual who has allowed me access to their lives, I’ve had others who have declined. Even at Deerboine Colony, where I’ve known everyone for fifteen years, I have come to understand who is comfortable with having their lives documented and who is not.

[Left] © Tim Smith ‘Tyler Wurtz says evening prayers with his father Michael before bed. Deerboine Colony, Manitoba’ 2012
[Right] © Tim Smith ‘Angela Hofer plays guitar and sings along with Dahlia Wurtz. Deerboine Colony, Manitoba’ 2010

Each new colony I visit means restarting that process of building relationships. Thankfully many colonies now know of my work and, when I meet someone new, I try to figure out who we might know in common as a way of establishing a connection. It has also been a project of proximity. The majority of the colonies I photograph at are within an hour’s drive of my home. This means I can easily return again and again while also balancing the other aspects of my work and my life.

You have spoken about the importance of working slowly. That is perhaps counter to today’s emphasis on speed and immediacy…

Working slowly has the advantage that I get to re-do things that I don’t nail the first time. I go back until I’m happy with what I have. I just don’t have that luxury in the daily news cycle of journalism. Working at my own pace, I can build relationships and wait for moments to unfold. There’s no trick to it: just show up, over and over again. Spend time, build relationships, and wait for moments to unfold.

[Left] © Tim Smith ‘John and Ruth Waldner give thanks after he helped her with her lunch at their kitchen table. Deerboine Colony, Manitoba’ 2013
[Right] © Tim Smith ‘John Waldner tucks his wife Ruth into bed for an afternoon nap. On the wall behind them is a composite photo of each of them before they were married. Deerboine Colony, Manitoba’ 2013

In this photograph [above left] John and Ruth Waldner give thanks after John helped his wife with her lunch at their kitchen table. Ruth had dementia and John would spend most of his day looking after her. Watching John caring for Ruth was touching and beautiful but also painful, because of how difficult it was for him to see the love of his life slipping away. Ruth was never alone throughout her dementia, and always had family around her. It was a touching illustration of how individuals are cared for in Hutterite communities. But I would never have been permitted to photograph something so intimate had I not spent years building relationships within the community.

How would you describe the way of life of Hutterite colonies.

The Hutterites are often either romanticised or denigrated as backward or simply quaint. The reality is that their societies are complex and nuanced. Each colony decides how rigidly they wish to maintain their traditions or adapt to the encroachments of the outside world.

Agriculture and farming are important parts of their economy. Manufacturing has grown, with many colonies in Manitoba running state-of-the-art manufacturing businesses. In contrast to the Amish and the old-order Mennonites, the Hutterites believe in using any technology that makes their work more productive. Smartphones and the internet are now key aspects of their life and business, with each individual colony deciding how best to balance the benefits and pitfalls of increasing connection to the outside world.

[Left] © Tim Smith ‘Gideon Hofer amongst the beehives in the colony apiary. Deerboine Colony, Manitoba’ 2018
[Centre] © Tim Smith ‘Michelle Wurtz. Deerboine Colony, Manitoba’ 2015
[Right] © Tim Smith ‘Head gardener Lissa Wurtz in the colony greenhouse. Deerboine Colony, Manitoba’ 2017

Today, the Hutterites are in the midst of one of the most successful periods of their five-century history. Members are provided for throughout their entire lives and experience less of the loneliness and isolation prevalent in the modern world. Their belief in the importance of family, community, and spirituality, coupled with a defined sense of purpose, has ensured that Hutterite colonies score high in many of the wellbeing measures for health, happiness, and above average life expectancy.

How much freedom of expression do individual members of the colony have?

There are three branches of Hutterites: the Schmiedeleut, the Dariusleut and the Lehrerleut. Each has distinct differences, often subtle to outsiders, such as styles of dress and behaviour. The colonies I have photographed the most are Schmiedeleut, the branch that is considered the most liberal of the three groups. But these things are not hard and fast. You can have liberal colonies within the conservative branch, conservative colonies within the more liberal one… and everything in between.

[Left] © Tim Smith ‘A young Hutterite woman lifts her dress to display the henna tattoo of a tree that she designed on her leg. Hutterite Colony’ 2018
[Right] © Tim Smith ‘Chantel Hofer wears bright pink DC brand sneakers with her homemade dress outside her family’s home. Deerboine Colony, Manitoba’ 2013

Hutterites, just like everyone else, will often find ways to individualise their style within the broader conformity of the culture. This young woman [in the image above left] has created a henna tattoo of a tree on her leg. Though the tattoo is non-permanent, it would still be considered somewhat controversial by elders in the colony. Personal adornments such as piercings and tattoos are frowned upon. The balance is in expressing ones individuality without going so far that you stick out from the broader group.

Beyond doing business, do the Hutterite colonies interact with the wider communities of the Prairies?

There are approximately six hundred and fifty Hutterite colonies in North America, and each one is different, varying in their degrees of interaction with the world around them. But it’s safe to say they all have connections in one form or another through farming or manufacturing, which bring them into regular contact with clients and businesses in other communities near and far. Many colonies are very open with their neighbours and welcome visitors. Others are more reserved.

The majority of Hutterites I know are very generous people. I have witnessed many ways in which they have assisted the communities around them, from donating blood to donating time and produce to local food banks and soup kitchens. I’ve seen them help sandbag and build dykes during floods, respond to fires at neighbouring farms, sew quilts for earthquake victims in Haiti, use 3-D printers to make face shields during the pandemic…

[Left] © Tim Smith ‘Farm boss Jack Hofer runs through the dust and chaff spit out from a combine harvesting canola. Deerboine Colony, Manitoba’ 2018
[Right] © Tim Smith ‘Rebecca, Deborah, Dahlia, and Lana, stand in a field of canola at sunset. Deerboine Colony, Manitoba’ 2010

What do you see as the purpose of your images…

The brain tends to reduce complex ideas to simpler forms, which can be useful for figuring things out quickly, but problematic when seeking to understand other human beings. My work brings me into contact with people with very different backgrounds, values, and beliefs; a constant reminder that there are many diverse perspectives. I hope my images reveal that nuance and complexity.

As with many rural populations, the prairies are often overlooked, especially by Canadians themselves. So, I feel privileged that I get to tell these stories. My camera allows me to follow my curiosity, take me out of myself. That said, I try not to think too deeply about why I do what I do. We’re all animals going about our days until we die. Hopefully we have more days making people smile than not.

Where have you shown this work and what kind of response have you received?

I’ve been fortunate to be able to exhibit this work quite a bit in the last few years and it is always interesting how people from different cultures interact with it. In Europe, the historical connection to the Hutterites is more immediate. When I exhibited in Innsbruck last October, the gallery was only a few blocks away from where Jakob Hutter was burned at the stake in 1536, which lent a very real connection to that history. When I showed the work in the United Arab Emirates, many of the women visiting the exhibition found a connection to the Hutterite women through their headscarves and conservative dress. In Korea, I exhibited in Yeongwol, a small city within a rural farming area. Here visitors identified with some of the farming and gardening practices used by the Hutterites. And everyone can relate to feelings of joy, sadness, pain, and so on in these pictures.

[Left] © Tim Smith ‘Picking clover to make tea, with help from friends from Pine Creek Colony. Deerboine Colony, Manitoba’ 2021
[Right] © Tim Smith ‘Young people load straw bales onto a flatbed in a field of recently harvested wheat. Deerboine Colony, Manitoba’ 2022

In making this work what have you learned about yourself?

I am someone who learns from my mistakes, from failure. After forty-five years, I’ve come to accept that this is how my brain works. I started my Hutterite project with no clear idea of what I was doing. I didn’t have the right gear, I didn’t have a plan, I just knew to keep going back and hope that I would figure out a path along the way.

As a photographer, I think I’ve learned how to use to advantage aspects of my personality that I previously considered hindrances. I used to lament being somewhat introverted and quiet, but these qualities have allowed me into some really beautiful, intimate moments. I try to be unassuming and non-threatening. I spend a lot of time listening. I’ve learned patience.

I have also learned the importance of being present in my own life. This should seem obvious but in journalism we are often taught that to be successful you need to forego other aspects of your life. Now, I think this is so stupid and regret that I fell into that trap. I’ve learned how important my personal work is to my personal growth. I’ve learned that as you expand the circle of people you care about, you inevitably open yourself up to more pain and heartbreak from the tragedies of life. But these long-term projects have given me a lot of joy and beautiful memories as well. I’m so grateful that I continue to be invited into the lives of strangers. It is such a privilege.

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He has won numerous accolades including multiple categories at the National Newspaper Awards, the National Press Photographers’ Awards, and the News Photographers Association of Canada Awards, and the Judges’ Special Recognition at Pictures of the Year International. Tim Smith’s photographs are held in public and private collections including those of the Province of Manitoba and the Múzeum habánov v Sobotišti (the Hutterites Museum in Sobotište), Slovakia. He lives and works in Manitoba, Canada.

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This interview is a Talking Pictures original.

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