"Kings in Their Castles," a collective portrait of the gay urban community in America, offers a personal view of some of our leading artists, writers, filmmakers, composers, musicians, and designers. Among the celebrities Atwood photographs in their playful, revealing homes are Edward Albee, Todd Oldham, John Waters, Ross Bleckner, Joel Schumacher, Junior Vasquez, Michael Cunningham, Simon Doonan, Andrew Solomon, Ned Rorem, James Dale, David Del Tredici, Tommy Tune, John Ashbery, Edmund White, and John Bartlett. Atwood also documents the bohemians, beatniks, mavericks, and iconoclasts, an urban community that is slowly disappearing. Capturing whimsical, intimate moments of daily life and portraying the complexity and diversity of this loosely linked society, Atwood reveals some of the most intriguing characters and homes in gay America. These beautiful fine art prints-- shifting between the pictorial and the theatrical-- become both a witness and a celebration.

"This collective portrait of gay urban artists, writers, musicians and designers suggests 'gay men are actually more interesting with their clothes on'-an invigorating perspective, especially considering that bookstore shelves are practically buckling under the weight of gay-themed photo collections that focus on the sculpted, semi-nude male form. Atwood's photographs are portals into the everyday existence of gay men within 'their own carefully constructed spaces' (read: their homes); whether it's writer Michael Cunningham biting his nail, deep in conversational thought, artist Ross Bleckner yawning in his studio or DJ Junior Vasquez contemplating garbage on his rooftop, Atwood documents the rare, capricious moments that transform his famous subjects into the familiar and the accessible. In the foreword, author Charles Keiser (Gay Metropolis) acknowledges that Atwood, at times, 'arranges' his subjects, as with the photo of filmmaker John Waters packing fake food in a suitcase, but the point of his work is not to 'imitate life, but to clarify it, by making it more vivid.' Shot primarily on 35 mm with minimal cropping, the 71 portraits included here often include both floor and ceiling to give the viewer as much of the subject's environment as possible. The technique challenges the eye without sacrificing balance, particularly in the shot of drag queen Hedda Lettuce-backed by her wall of wigs- fending off her dog as she is about to leave for a performance. Atwood's subjects rarely look at the camera, and yet even the portraits of lesser known performers and artists shimmer with emotion and intimacy." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Tom Atwood is an award-winning photographer based in Los Angeles. Atwood’s work has been featured in dozens of publications; exhibited in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Miami; and has been shown at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the George Eastman House, and the International Museum of Photography and Film.