This photograph comes from the “Midnight Modern” series that Tom Blachford took in Palm Springs, on a trip to California. After many daytime shooting sessions, he eventually chose to return to photograph these modern homes typical of the fifties under the bluish light of a full moon and nocturnal street lighting. Captured with very long exposure times, the villas, central figures of his compositions, appear to be immersed in atmospheres charged with mystery. The photographs of Tom Blachford transform these manmade structures into dreamlike objects with a strange beauty, capable of establishing links between the familiar to the unreal. Like the work of Gregory Crewdson, which represents the flipside of the American dream by staging American homes and suburbs, Tom Blachford endows these sites with stories, some of which are true, others imaginary, each time raising questions that remain unanswered.

**The artist: Tom Blachford**

Tom Blachford lives in Melbourne, Australia. After studies in commerce, he taught himself photography from 2008. His many voyages constitute his main source of inspiration and the starting point for his artistic approach. At 27, Tom Blachford has already travelled to California, Cuba, India, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, China, Japan, Vietnam, and Paris, looking for new images and lights to capture. He thus approaches extremely varied subjects, ranging from natural landscapes to portraits, interior and exterior architecture – his subjects are always staged in minimalist, carefully framed compositions. His fascination for rendering textures and forms underpins his graphic and characteristic style and has already earned him fame. His images have been published in various famous newspapers and magazines such as Domus, iD, The New York Times or Vogue Australia.