Tom Kneller
I am shooting my generation, on occasional older iconic characters, and more recently youth and adolescence. With that said, there is a common draw – a youthful spirit in an individual’s gaze.
I like to shoot people I have access to but also random individuals I am drawn to. Some are characters who have an iconic quality I want to frame. At times, the photos bring important and pressing narratives to the forefront. This includes highlighting the LGBTQ community. Wherever I take photos, it is important for me to first understand my position within the experience, in the belief that the work is shared with the subject.
I am building scenes the more I work, almost like an alternative world, one could live in. There is a sense of nostalgia that arises and I like to dwell in that, watching the images getting old ‘in a good way.’
The traits of the subjects became apparent in the act of photographing them. The transitions of youth and adolescence have a unique mix of emotions, deep or spontaneous, that coincide with varying physiques and stages therein. There is also confidence in these subjects. If there is any vulnerability it is that they are captured in a still image, as if one single moment from countless ones could somehow tell their story.
