Tom in front of a painting he bought in NY in the 70's by Patrick Kenny. PHOTOGRAPHY BY DANIEL MOSS
At Home with Tom Bianchi
Photographer Tom Bianchi recently published his latest photography book ‘Tom Bianchi: Fire Island Pines, Polaroids 1975-1983.‘ This beautiful coffee table book got us interested in his photographs and after meeting him at a couple of his book signings — so far we’ve attended 5 events related to this book — he invited us to visit him at his home in Palm Springs.
When we arrived at his light filled home, we were warmly greeted by Tom and his husband Ben Smales. About ten minutes later we were enjoying some very strong vodka cocktails by the pool that Ben made for us. We chatted about everything from naked men to California, viewed some old polaroids, admired and obsessed over his healthy medical marijuana plants while our photographer Daniel Moss took some photographs around the house.
What was the first photo you ever took? The first photo I took beyond the casual snapshot is of my neighbor Tom when I was in college. The photo appears in my book, Men I’ve Loved.
How long have you been taking photos for? I’ve been shooting since the Polaroids were made between 1975 and 1983.
When did you move to Palm Springs? I moved to Palm Springs full time ten years ago.
What’s the favorite part of your house? My favorite part of our house is the outdoor space — pool and garden.
Tom is enjoying a vodka cranberry in his outdoor space.
“The wall at the end of the pool with the mirror was something I created to give the garden an architectural feature — also as a backdrop for photos. We change the color from time to time — Ben and I selected the current orange and may change it next spring.”
Can your neighbors see you through that wall? Our house and garden are secure — no one can see in. That was a prerequisite for taking the house given all the nudity and sex we enjoy around our pool.
How many naked men have you had in that pool at once? The largest number of guys I’ve shot in the pool at once was about seven.
Do you appreciate the interest in your work from younger audiences? I love the fact that young people are tuning into my work. I’ve always tried to provide a higher quality vision of our community than the usual things we see about ourselves and I’m glad that young people can now appreciate how this all began.
How did the Fire Island polaroids series start? The Fire Island Polaroid project began when I took an SX 70 camera to the beach where I had a summer house — shooting the community and my friends because I wanted boys like me to know that such a place existed.
Were people nervous about you taking their photo? We were all pretty relaxed about the pictures since my friends were able to see the Polaroids as I made them.
From left: “Pool party Line from the Polaroid book. A painting by Ciel Bergman – leaning in the corner – Boat Board – a found piece of a wrecked boat that I painted. Over the fireplace – Samurai Dancer – one of my earliest three dimensional paintings. Next to the TV – a graphite drawing I did as part of a series of busts of my friends in the early 80s. On the floor – L to R – Handstand on a Bayside Deck – shot at Fire Island for my Extraordinary Friends book – the head of a monument in Hyde Park London – David Hard – a photo from my In the Studio book.”
“The guys in the triptych are Tim and Cory — bantam weight physique competitors at the Gay Games in New York in 1994. They came to be shot the morning after the competition so they were in peak form. I called the series Belvedere Torsos because the figure in the top left picture has the body attitude of the ancient torso fragment in the Vatican.”
Who has been the most surprising fan of your work? Most surprising fan? Wow. I was told that Vice President Al Gore read through my book — Out of the Studio when he found it on a coffee table in a White House office — he’s reported to have said: “Well, I’ve never seen anything like that before.”
What photographers working today do you admire? I admire Duane Michals most – poet – artist – storyteller. I find his work a model of great photography because he doesn’t make pictures like anyone else — he’s the original real deal with a lot to say.
How did you meet your husband and when did you guys get married? Ben and I met over three years ago online — he moved to the US from the UK six months after we met and we were married October 3, 2013.
Ben and Tom snapping a selfie with their phone. “We have several outdoor mirrors because they provide interesting angles for photographs — and it’s fun to watch bodies making love in them.”
