Interview Of The Month: Photographer Tom Selmon! Why He Loves Fashion & Drag?
Just last week I came across some incredibly beautiful & quite unique photos: drag photography. Different, artsy, fashion, edgy, awkward, dramatic, interesting, complete, with a sort of a mysterious story behind each image that intrigues to more but never reveals. This guessing game was fabulous. The transformation & beauty – brilliant. The man behind the lens is none other than photographer Tom Selmon. A London artist, currently studying BA (HONS) fashion photography at Falmouth University trying to get recognized as a street style/backstage photographer. Tom Selmon caught my attention through his work. Simple as that. Editorial, street style, backstage. His greatest passion though is focusing on gender bending/drag photography. A unique & special approach which doubled by his talent make him a young artist worth knowing. A man to definitely keep an eye on in this enormous sea of photographers. Truth is we live in the era of street art: fashion, photography & Instagram. It’s really a pop culture & a new movement, so as an artist you need to be different, on top of your game and deliver art in the most genuine possible way you can.
Street Style Photos by Tom Selmon 
What fascinated me with this experience, apart from Tom’s great work (backstage, street, drag photography) was the idea of getting to know the person behind the lens. His passion, how it all came true for him, what inspires him et all. Tom Selmon‘s photos are an interesting mix of fashion, art and mysterious stories. So what made him choose fashion photography?
“I love fashion” Tom confesses, ”I like creating fantasies in my head. My favorite decade for fashion was the 90’s, perhaps it makes me feel a bit nostalgic because when I was younger I would watch movies and just wanted to wear what the girls in ‘Clueless’ wore.” His love for drag & gender bending makes his work different and captivating. I mean he does deliver so much more than the cliche street styles, backstage photos & editorials, all photographers do anyway.
Drag Photography by Tom Selmon
When asked how he came to take drag photos he simply says ‘‘I just find drag beautiful. Drag queens are like aliens, with makeup they make themselves look beyond what a human looks like.” Could it be his passion for the less exploited beauty, the brilliance that is less visible but so much more appealing for that matter, or is it a lust for shocking the viewers that make his work special? To tell you the truth, it might be a bit of both, but when the results are stunning and make you linger on a photo who gives a damn anymore.
‘‘I just find drag beautiful. Drag queens are like aliens, with makeup they make themselves look beyond what a human looks like.”
With street style photography being a big part of his work I was curious to know what makes a street-style photo great? ‘What do you look for in it and hope to transpose‘ I asked him. ”People who own themselves,” he said. And indeed a certain attitude makes all the difference. There’s just something so appealing and refreshing about strong personas, even awkward, shy or vulnerable people, but nonetheless dazzling and intoxicating. Famous faces fall under these labels too, I mean they always ‘own themselves’ as Tom says. Through their attitudes or quirky styles… they always make the photos worth the hunt. Anna Dello Russo, Anna Wintour, Patrick Demarchalier, Coco Rocha or Franca Sozzani are but a few famous faces Tom Selmon got to photograph over this fashion week season.
Famous Faces & Street Style photos by Tom Selmon 
‘You went backstage at Paris Fashion Week this season at Valentino, to photograph the models and the atmosphere. Tell me more about that experience?’
- Tom Selmon: It was incredible! I managed to sneak in. I had never been around that level of high fashion and it was very surreal. I also got to meet Pat McGrath, one of my idols and I even showed her my drag.
Valentino backstage photos by Tom Selmon
When asked about what inspires him the most Tom stays true to his greatest passion and says he gets his inspiration from “drag cultures, attitudes and movies ”. And as to what his biggest dream is regarding his photography or who he wants to work with he confesses in a heart beat ”I want to work with Candy Magazine”.
more Tom Selmon photos…
Honest, talented, fun, unique, fascinating – Tom Selmon is an artist and a photographer who loves to challenge his audience, to shock, to oblige us to look beyond what is easy or comfortable to spot and discover the million sides of beauty & art. A street style & backstage photographer with a huge passion and talent for fashion editorials & drag photography, Tom is an artist to look out for. Check out his amazing photography here: Blog: Boy-Chick | Website & Portfolio (www.tomselmonphotography.com)
