Today we’d like to introduce you to Thomas Eslinger.
Thomas, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I began taking photos the summer before I started high school. I did have a history of photography, though. My father was a photographer and would bring me along to shoots as a child, promising to take my picture afterwards if I well behaved. Initially, I was drawn to the art as a way of documenting my travels, travel photos covered the walls of my childhood home, and as I began to travel without my parents in tow, I decided it was time to take some photos of my own. In college, I became more interested in fashion and art and these naturally drew my eye to photographing people. I went to school for both photography and acting and the parallels between the two worlds have worked to shape my photos. Through acting I learned about emotion, importantly how to recognize, bring out and capture emotional subtleties in my models and this has helped to bring a unique life to my photos. After graduating from college I moved to LA to pursue photography and I am constantly finding inspiration from this beautiful city and the talented people that live here.
Has it been a smooth road?
I am still very early in my career, but I have definitely hit some bumps in the road. The best way that I have found to get over them is to never stop creating. When I don’t feel like going out on shoots I try and spark my creativity in other ways, by editing old photos or looking at other artists work, and that usually gives me some new ideas and sends me back out into the field.
What were you like growing up?
I was a very imaginative child. I loved creating my own worlds, making costumes, going on adventures and painting. I also loved learning. I wanted to be a scientist for the longest time because I was fascinated with learning about how things worked and how the world came together.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite memories as a child are from traveling with my family. I was very luckily and grew up in a family where travel was a priority. This allowed me to become a world traveler at a young age and I know that shaped the way I view the world today.
So, what should we be on the lookout for, what’s next in store for you?
Right now my only plans for the future are to keep creating art that challenges and inspires me and to continue to surround myself with people that push me and help me to grow as an artist and a person.
Contact Info:
- Website: eslingerphotography.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @thetomess
