Tommy Ton Discusses Fashion, Street Style, and Bloggers with The Talks

Get the scoop on one of your favorite style photographers.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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There's no doubt that Tommy Ton is on top of the street style photography game. The photographer took some time out to have a conversation with The Talks about fashion and his life as a blogger. Ton, although an established blogger, still feels the prejudice from magazines that don't view him as professional as his print counterparts. You can read the complete interview here.

Check these choice excerpts from the interview:

Tommy, you are one of the most successful street style bloggers around. How much time do you spend on the Internet yourself?

If I have to look at it, maybe like 8 or 10 hours a day.

As a street style photographer is important for you to look good too? I feel like a lot of your colleagues stand outside fashion shows just trying to be photographed themselves.

I have zero interest in being photographed! Nobody really does take my picture, so I just don’t care. But if you want to build a brand of your own and make your image a part of who you are, a part of your package, then yes it’s important. I think it’s more important if you are… I don’t want to say necessarily “attractive,” but someone that knows how to wear clothes well.

Is there still a huge gap between bloggers and magazines or is it slowing shifting together? You’ve already shot for a number of big magazines yourself…

I still think there’s quite a gap. I tend to like magazines like Purple, Self Service, or 032c where I feel like the images are a little bit more accessible and relatable. I think magazines – let’s say W or Vogue – really strive to create imagery that’s on another level and impactful and I don’t think that’s necessarily the goal of a blogger or a street style photographer. We’re the voice of the people and we’re just trying to document reality and I think magazines are meant to be more about fantasy. But I still think that there is a divide and there are still many publications that are very hesitant about embracing the blogger and the digital world.

Do magazines look down on bloggers?

Yes, absolutely. You can sense it when you’re going to the shows. You feel like they belittle you in a way. Not intentionally, but you can feel like they’re thinking, “Oh, you’ve cheated the system. I don’t feel like you earned your spot here sitting in the show.” Maybe that’s just me being a bit more insecure. And if I still feel that way in my position I can only imagine what a new blogger feels like coming into this.

[via The Talks]

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