Artist Spotlight

Thomas Synnamon is an emerging New York–based photographer with a passion for simple yet bold work. Inspired by some of the greats, such as Richard Avedon, Robert Mapplethorpe, Paolo Roversi, and Steven Klein, Synnamon challenges himself to let his imagination prevail in the balance between creativity and technique.

A self-taught photographer, he approaches every project with the same objective: to create something beautiful.

The Advocate: Why are you a photographer?
Synnamon: Well, I always loved photography but was intimated by the learning process of film photography, and when digital came around it was instant gratification. So I did a lot of shooting with a point-and-shoot camera from product and a lot of macro shooting to learn some lighting, and then it was a lot, and I mean a lot, of self-portraits. So then I bought my first SLR camera and just started shooting friends and playing with lighting and learning the camera. I knew what I wanted to capture, but it just took me some time to learn. I am self-taught, and it's still a learning process. I just love beautiful images!

What catches your eye?
I love the male form, the lines in the body, the details of the muscles, and a great face — someone who has a beautiful face. And I love people who have striking characteristics.

How do you choose your subjects?
I work with a lot of New York City modeling agencies, so I do get some of the most beautiful men to shoot. Sometimes I find people on the street that I think have a great look, not like a model, but I just see something and know I can get an interesting shot.

How do you describe your work?
I don't know, because it's always changing as I grow as a photographer, at least my editing and shooting process. It still is all about the men; I just try to find beautiful and interesting ways to present it,

What makes a good photograph to you?
Composition and lighting, capturing the beauty and emotions from one single shot, and passion. If the photographer has passion for the image he is shooting, it shows in the shots.

Who are your favorite artists? And why?

Photographers like Richard Avedon, Marcus Piggott, Steven Klein, Herb Ritts, Helmut Newton — they have shaped the way I look at images that are important to me.