A Divided Road

American Todd Hido is best known for his photographs of a haunting suburbia in ‘Homes At Night’. Widely exhibited in the United States and Europe, his eerie exteriors project feelings of unease and isolation, as the presence of people is devoid. Hido uses only available light and long exposures that make these saturated images almost glow off the print. His exploration into themes of loneliness continues through to his interior shots which are again absent of people, but suggest that a presence was once there.  His exploration into themes of loneliness continues through to his interior shots which are again absent of people, but suggest that a presence was once there – a door left ajar, a chair turned over, creased bedding. Less celebrated are his series of portraits, again set in vacuous places but this time with models. There is something intriguing about these that hold your gaze, as amateur, scantily clad models pose awkwardly for the camera. "I am very much influenced by my past. I was a student of Larry Sultan's about 15 years ago and he remained a good friend until he passed away last year. He was a clear influence on my work and I think that the most important thing that Larry taught me was to draw from within, to use your own history as the basis for your art."