Interview

Written By Editorial Team

Thomas Morgan

Thomas Morgan began his journey as a photographer the same way many of his peers did: a camera passed down or gifted by his parents. Something not terribly expensive, but with good glass and simple operations. His was a Yashica-MAT 124G, a late-model twin-lens reflex camera during one of its final years in production. Even then it was an oddball, since almost everyone else he knew had already become acquainted with 35mm. But he was - and continues to be - rebellious. Morgan moved on to and experimented with other camera formats that became extensions to his creative spark, his inner dialog brought to the fore. While he still shoots analog and sticks to composing while he shoots, he fully embraces digital, noting the medium’s seemingly endless possibilities in post-production. “It’s a fast-moving world,” he says, “but it is through my constant pursuit of photographic exceptionalism that I’m able to see the details, the story, and the drama of the stillness between stop lights. I’ll always shoot, and most of the pictures are not going to be that good, but the ones that get through will hopefully transcend to a photograph.”

What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?

“I'm a creator in most senses of the word. I tend to move from one medium to the next, since inspiration can come from many places. I believe we can be attracted to multiple means of expression and that we'll have many goals, which will dominate our time on this world. To this end, I'm a photographer, songwriter, author, playwright, and screenwriter. I'm also a husband and father and dog owner. Mostly, though, I'm a photographer. I began my artistic journey when my parents handed me a Yashica MAT 124G twin lens camera as graduation gift. The first picture I took with that wonderful sturdy device was of our Irish Wolfhound standing stoically by a stonewall in the backyard of my parents' house in New Hampshire, and I've been chasing this high ever since.”

What does your work aim to say? Does it comment on any current social or political issues?

“I live in one of the busiest cities on the planet; Los Angeles has been my home for nearly half my life, and even now I'm still seeing something new every time I go out. I like to think that my photographs invite the viewer in. Politics to me is a mad man screaming at an abandoned car. Politics is a discarded sneaker in a vacant lot. Politics is the endless messaging in the graffiti all over downtown LA. There's an abandoned, unfinished sky scraper right across from Crypto arena. It's been tagged by dozens of graffiti artists. This is the politics of the city, the underground made aware by the gentrified. It's awesome. Conversely, my landscapes in and around the American Southwest are the opposite. Unlike tagged buildings and busses, these vistas change at a rate so slow they can hardly be said to be changing at all. And the images that I'm able to capture are just as beautiful and reflective. And the message is clear: I'm also here, see me in whatever light you can.”

Do you plan your work in advance, or is it improvisation?

“If I'm hitting the road, I have an idea in mind of where I'm headed and what I want to capture: heroic landscapes and, if I'm lucky, the narrative will reveal itself. If I'm going downtown on a Sunday morning I have an idea of the light hitting the buildings and dramas that I can see in the windows. Sometimes, even a simple vase and or lamp can tell a story, and that's what I hone in on.”

“I like to think that my photographs invite the viewer in.”

Are there any art world trends you are following?

“Digital seems to be speeding up, so I guess the trend is quick? But the funny thing is, photography is about slowing down, composing, so you're kind of at odds with trends. I do think composite images are fun and can be interesting, so I try to follow artists who can use miniatures and create these sort of dystopian and sci-fi vignettes. That's the ultimate in narrative fictional photography.”

What process, materials and techniques do you use to create your artwork?

“I use several different photo editing software tools and am not beholden to one in particular, although I do like the simplicity of Affinity and DxO. Filters, LUTs, and more traditional darkroom techniques such as dodging, burning, and vignetting, are also incorporated into my creative process.”

 What does your art mean to you?

“This is an interesting question. It means many things. It means I was here and this is what I saw. It also means this is what felt at the time and this is how this story ends or begins. It means, as an artist, there is passion behind my lenses, and I freely share it with the world.”

What’s your favourite artwork and why?

“I absolutely love ‘Girls in the Windows’ by Ormond Gigli. The colors, the beauty of the women, how they're posed, and the wonderful immediacy and scale of the moment. It's one of the truly great photographs of the 20th century.”

Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?

“I've been fortunate enough to be included in the 11th Landscape International Juried Art Competition, for which I was awarded an honorable mention for three of my works. Recently, I also participated in The Art Gallery's (TAG) Black and White from Around the World art show in Los Angeles. I was honored and humbled to be included with so many talented artists in both of these shows.”

 
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