Kyle Thompson’s fascination with surrealism has lent a very good hand to his art. Impressively, he’s only been taking photos for little over a year. The 20 year old self-taught photographer from Chicago impressed ArtRebels enough for us to track him down and find out more.
Firstly, Kyle, tell us a bit about yourself. Born and raised in Chicago?
Yeah, I’m 20 and I’ve lived in the Chicago suburbs my whole life. I’m living with my dad and two brothers and I spend all day taking photos!
How did you get into photography?
A little over a year ago, a friend and I started going to nearby abandoned houses with his parent’s camera. We would take photos of the houses, each other, etc. I eventually bought my own camera, and instead of waiting to find time to take photos of other people, I started using a tripod and timer, using myself as the subject.
Have you had any formal training?
No, I’m completely self taught. Basically everything I know is just from hours and hours of practice. When I make mistakes I try to learn from them.
Do you consider yourself a bit of a surrealist? What inspires your work?
Yeah I do. I love surrealism, and the mixture of fantasy and reality. I’m mostly inspired by my environment. Many photos I do are inspired by emotion, as I sometimes try to translate emotion into an image.
Maybe it’s cliche, but I’d have to say Francesca Woodman. She was one of my first photographic inspirations. I love the eerie feel to her work.
Share one song that helps you work in the studio/office/your work space..
Oh there’s so many! I’ll go with Pavement – Gold Soundz. I’ve been listening to a lot of 90s indie rock lately and this is one of my favorites.
