Meet Thomas B Nelson III of The Fat Photo Guy in East Valley

Today we’d like to introduce you to Thomas B Nelson III.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Thomas B. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Like a lot of things in my life, photography was something I found early, left for a while and came back to. My first photos were done with disposable cameras that I and my friends stole from our local pharmacy in Belcamp, MD. We were middle schoolers and had nothing better to do. The girls in our neighborhood would let us snap photos of them and we thought we were artists. But, like most African American kids growing up in the early 2000’s, hip-hop found its way into my mind and I abandoned photography for several years to be a rapper. That didn’t work out so great. Years later, after I had moved to Connecticut with my father’s family, I met a group of friends who would eventually become like my brothers. Among them was my friend Mook (Haze da Punter) who was a far better hip-hop artist than I could aspire to be. So, I decided to put the mic down and pick a camera back up to further our cause of becoming self-made millionaires. That was eight years ago. In the meantime, since I found myself in my work. I’ve made some money, some art and most importantly some good friends along the journey. Now, just over a year after moving to Phoenix, I find myself feeling better about photo more than ever and growing as a person overall.

Has it been a smooth road?
It has been far from smooth. There were times that I wanted to hang it all up. Just two years into being a photographer, I lost my entire catalog of work behind a faulty external hard drive. I remember wanting to die. Having to start from scratch was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. But it taught me the art of reinvention and how to rise from what some would consider as a situation that you can’t recover from.

I’ve also had to deal with bad friends, shady partners, crazy models, other photographers and the dark parts of myself. It’s all a part of the process though. You have to learn from everything.

It’s funny to say but I’ve probably been my biggest obstacle through everything. The toughest challenge is learning to get out of your own way when you want to do something great or even just something good. Getting out of my own head, not quitting when it seemed like the thing to do, it all lead me here.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the The Fat Photo Guy story. Tell us more about the business.
I am primarily a portrait/fashion photographer. I do on occasions dabble in other areas of the craft like weddings and family photos but I prefer the more creative side of photography. I work with models and clientele from all walks of life and levels of experience. I’ve always been told that my work as a photographer, no matter the subject matter, tells a story. That is a point of pride for me.

As far as what makes me different, I would say it is my approach to my work. I like to go into every photographic scenario as if it is a creative project. Instead of just doing a regular, I will try anything to push for the artistic side of things.

“Can we hang this on a wall?” If yes, we’ve accomplished a goal. If no, what can we do better?

Between that and my insistence on blending the lines of industry and urban, I think I bring a unique view to the world of photography.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I can’t say for sure where anything will be in five or ten years. There are so many things that change on a daily basis in this medium. Higher resolution cameras becoming more affordable and YouTube University make it harder for those of us that have studied photography in more traditional means. The common person is running out and trying to be the next big thing in the photo world.

It’s scary and exciting all at the same time because there may be some kid out there right now, that is the next Gordon Parks that is going to be able to get their hands on a camera that ten years ago we’d never have dreamed of. The technology becomes better and more accessible every day. Mirrorless cameras are becoming more popular (and, I still don’t know how I feel about them). Drones are being used to capture images that used to require a helicopter to shoot.

I think wherever we end up, it’s going to be interesting for sure.

Contact Info:

• Address: 3125 s 52nd St.
  Tempe, AZ 85282
• Website: thefatphotosite.com
• Phone: 2038366852
• Email: thefatphotoguy@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefatphotoguy/

Image Credit:
Ocean Allen, Amberley Johnson, Victoria Fonseca, Morgan Smith, Lindsey Fujan (Styled by LaMark Cole), Heidi Feldman, Hailey Chaney, Eric Brown Jr., Breana Maughan

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