Kyle Thompson (photographer)

Kyle J Thompson
Born	(1992-01-11)January 11, 1992 Illinois, Chicago, United States of America
Occupation	Self Taught Photographer

Kyle Thompson (January 11, 1992) is a self-taught photographer from Chicago, Illinois. His style, as he describes it, is surreal conceptual photography; the creation of a surreal world in order to depict concepts. He has a fascination with abandoned houses and empty forests, locations where the majority of his photographs take place. He specializes in self-portraiture. He has no formal education in photography.

Early life

Thompson has lived in the suburbs of Chicago all his life.

Style

Thompson is renown for his use of unusual locations. He frequently uses abandoned houses, vacant forests and rivers and lakes. His love of the outdoors sprang from his distaste of the suburbs where he grew up. He says 'the suburbs are a fake and constructed reality.' He is also known for using water, smoke and lighting effects to enhance surreal feel of his photos. In some photos, he even sets himself alight. Props are also a major part of his work - some of his photos feature balloons, mirrors, model ships, old analogue televisions and lengths of material to convey abstract concepts.

Publications

2012: Yahoo News, "Surrealist Photographer Takes Out of This World Self-Portraits", October 2012

Yahoo News, "Aspiring Surrealist Photographer", December 2012

Dolce&Gabanna's Swide Magazine, "Photography by Kyle Thompson - Talent in the suburbs of Chicago", June 2012

Juxtapoz, "Self Portraits by Kyle Thompson", July 2012

io9, "Staggering Photos that Combine Self-Portraiture with Surrealism", June 2012

Fstoppers, "Surreal Self Portraits By Kyle Thompson", October 2012

Awards

Italian Vogue, Photo of the Day, July 21, 2012