His Photos May Just Change Your Life

The images that twenty-one year old Kyle Thompson creates are hard to get out of your head. His photographs are real life depictions of scenes played out in his imagination.
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Photos By Kyle Thompson

The images that twenty-one year old Kyle Thompson creates are hard to get out of your head. His photographs are real life depictions of scenes played out in his imagination. When I asked him to give me an example of the narrative behind his photos, at first, there was silence on the other end of the phone.

"It is personal. Like a diary," he says.

The Chicago native thought he would try college, but that was not his forte. Thompson sees himself as more of a writer, which manifests into the photos he creates. Using himself as a model in some of the shots, he transports the viewer into another world, a place of fantasy. If you spend too much time looking at his photos you might think you have fallen down to the furthest parts of the proverbial rabbit hole.

Recently Kyle returned to Chicago after spending about six months driving around the country. By the grace of friends who follow his work on social media outlets, he was able to stay in their homes throughout his journey. Sometimes, however, his lodging included sleeping in forests and abandoned homes.

"I took photos the whole trip," Kyle said.

Some of his untitled pictures were taken in Peru and Bolivia last year. The photos he took on his adventure around the United States will become part of a photo book that Kyle is publishing in the future.

Professionally, Kyle is not doing badly for not having a degree.

"I'm working on a couple series for exhibition, one based on the way memories decay and another one based on anxiety and solitude," he says.

Kyle was just signed by a Paris based agency called Vu and will travel to Tokyo to do commercial work later this month. When asked if he was a starving artist or if he was actually making it, he said, "This has turned into full time work."

Even though he is heading in such a successful direction and he is the artist of such amazing photos, Kyle is as shy as he is private.

For more of Kyle Thompson's work go to his Facebook page or on his website. I think you will agree, his images are an awe-inspiring glimpse into the world of this meek seeming artist.

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