Thomas Earl White, USA, from Berkeley and lives in Los Angeles / California. Amateur and have been shooting for 8 years.
1. How did you get into photography?
Way before digital, while I was in high school my mother gave me my first 35mm, a Minolta. Guess she recognized my interest in visual art. Anyway, after learning how to use the camera, I spent time in the photo club, shot local concerts, vacations and had my first experience with developing black & white film in a darkroom. Skip forward some time without a camera or shooting, went to college, started a career and eventually realized that I really needed a creative outlet. So I went and bought myself another camera, learned digital and I’ve been shooting ever since.
2. Who is your favourite Photographer?
There’s so many to check out, and my influences are probably all over the map. But I get really inspired by people like Javier Vallhonrat, Paolo Roversi, Avedon and Helmut Newton.
3. How would you describe your style?
That’s a tough one. I don’t know, I think my style is generally very clean and minimal. Not a lot of excess going on in most of my shots. Though I can be really attracted to that style, it doesn’t usually translate into what I do. I shot a model recently, and when we met she commented that my writing and communication style was exactly like how I shoot. I’d never thought of it that way, but the more I think of it she was right.
4. What message do you want to convey in your photographs?
My goal is to try and capture beautiful moments. A lot of my subjects are georgous people, but ultimately it’s not only about that. It’s more about what they give to me, the camera and the viewer. That moment when the light catches a highlight in their hair, or the position of their neck at the perfect angle, or the expression in their eyes creating just the right amount of tension compared to the one in their lips.
5. Do you have any projects that you would like to work on?
I’d like to get published in some magazines that I admire this year. Be a great opportunity to shoot an editorial. Also I’d like spend more time shooting other subjects that I’m interested in like architecture and landscapes, and also get better at video.
If you want to know more about him, follow him on… Blog, Flickr, Website.
