Tom Chambers: Contemporary Photographer

Many contemporary photographers use digital photography in order to create a certain feel or mood of the photograph. While this can be accomplished with film, there are many more options with digital. Tom Chambers takes advantage of the digital world by adding a dramatic tone to his photographs. In his series on photos entitled "Entropic Kingdom," Chambers photographs animals and people together to show
their relationship and how they co-exist. He uses the two subjects in a way that makes the viewer question if the animals are real because of the poses and interactions between the people and the animal. In this photo, Flying Big Blue, there is a woman on the shore in the distance that almost looks like she is using the bird as a kite because she has its foot by a rope. It appears as if the bird is trying to fly away but the woman is pulling it down. Chambers tried to record the tension between man and animals. He says, "This tension has escalated with man's increasing disregard for the fragility of the environment and abdication of his responsibility to care for the earth." He was able to display his thoughts in an abstract way that evokes emotion and thought. I would like to incorporate a dramatic mood into my photographs. I think it draws the eye and changes the tone of the picture. I think it has to work well with the subject and content in order to display a certain message.