Patreon Exclusive: Celebrating World Photography Day with Time Team's Harvey Mills (Patreon)

Today marks World Photography Day, and we're thrilled to shine the spotlight on one of our most talented collaborators - Harvey Mills, the award-winning photographer whose lens has captured some of Time Team's most compelling moments in the field.

From street photography to commercial work, fine art to skateboarding, Harvey's portfolio defies categorization. But it's his archaeological photography that brings a rare artistry to the dig sites, transforming excavations into visual stories. As an Associate of the Royal Photographic Society (ARPS) working towards his Fellowship Distinction, he brings both technical mastery and creative vision to every project.

Below, discover more about Harvey and explore his stunning images from Time Team's excavations, including the Band of Brothers and Sutton Hoo dig:

Harvey Mills:

"I'm a professional photographer and have worked in the archaeology and heritage industries for many years. Previously to this, I worked in commercial photography; covered festivals and live performances, and shot action sports (such as skateboarding) amongst other things. 

I now specialise in documenting and recording archaeological projects and forensic search and recovery missions. As well as Time Team, I also work with the Ministry of Defence; Operation Nightingale; Commercial Archaeology units; Universities; Museums, and I am also part of an Incident Response Team.

I was a Time Team superfan pretty much from day one! I'd always been interested in archaeology but didn't really have an understanding of how it all worked. For me, TT democratised archaeology by making it accessible, understandable, and interesting to people like me. I still have my original books from the 90s written by Tim. 

I'd often wondered how to get involved with the digging scene but couldn't really find a way in: archaeology had never really needed professional photography because most excavations are photographed by the archaeologists themselves - and this is still very much the case.

I recall speaking to my wife about this frustration and the fact that I wanted to get involved in archaeology, and she suggested that I chat to Richard Osgood to see if he had anything to offer. I'd never met him before and didn't know he was an Archaeologist with the MoD - even though our daughter's attended the same school, and we live a couple of streets apart!

To cut a long story short, my first dig was at Larkhill on Salisbury Plain, looking for a WW1 Horse Hospital, with Richard O and Julian Richards. This was also my introduction to Operation Nightingale - a wonderful MoD initiative to help wounded service personnel on their recovery pathways, using archaeology as a well-being vehicle. I spent 2 glorious weeks on the Warhorse project, was instantly hooked, and have never looked back. 

Since my initial introduction to archaeology at Larkhill, I've been fortunate and privileged to work on countless digs and associated projects across the UK and Europe. During this time, I've documented and recorded excavations from almost every time period from the Neolithic up to WW2.

In July 2023, I was delighted to contribute the photographs for Richard Osgood's brilliant book "Broken Pots, Mending Lives", which is a comprehensive summary of the first decade of Op Nightingale's work. Hopefully there will be a second volume at some stage!

I first worked with Time Team on the 'Digging Band Of Brothers' project in Aldbourne, Wiltshire. This was a real bucket-list moment for me as I never imagined that I'd be documenting the team that had originally stirred my interest in archaeology. 

I love being part of the Team, not just because of the fascinating archaeology, but working with some brilliant characters, who are all at the top of their respective games - from the presenters, the crew, the field archaeologists and the many experts and specialists that bring it all to life."

https://harveymills.com