Tom Atwood (born 1971) is an American fine art, portrait, and celebrity photographer, best known for his 2005 book Kings in Their Castles.[1][2]The New Yorker has praised the "refreshing clarity and modesty" of his work.[3]
Atwood worked several years as an advertising executive[4] before turning full-time to commercial and fine art photography. As a photographer, Atwood is largely self-taught,[6] developing many of his techniques through trial and error.[5] According to Atwood, various cultural influences—including theater, painting, architecture, and psychology—have informed his photographic style.[5]
Atwood is particularly known for combining and balancing the genres of portraiture and architectural photography, so that neither the subject nor his or her surroundings predominate in the final image.[7] Memorable early portraits include astronaut Buzz Aldrin and actresses Hilary Swank and Julie Newmar.[2][8] Atwood and his work have won many awards: in 2009 he was named Photographer of the Year at the Worldwide Photography Gala Awards, earning first place in the portraiture category.[8]
"The art books I had seen about gay men were all nudes on the beach or romping through the forest," Atwood told The Los Angeles Times. "I wanted this to be more about people as human beings, their idiosyncrasies, their daily lives."[28]
Kings & Queens in Their Castles
Atwood's forthcoming book, Kings & Queens in Their Castles, will be published in 2017 by art book publisher Damiani. Called "the most ambitious photo series ever" of LGBTQ subjects,[29] the book expands on Atwood's earlier concept to include new portraits of some 160 lesbians and gay men, as well as members of the bisexual and transgender community, of whom about 60 are well-known figures. Lesser-known individuals include baristas, lawyers, and drag queens. Subjects were photographed in 30 different U.S. states.[29][30]
Exhibition history
"Personal", Louis Stern Fine Arts, Advertising Photographers of America, Los Angeles, 2003 (group exhibition)[31]
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