One of New York nightlife’s most talented and prolific editorial photographers, Tanner Abel has shot iconic artists in the scene and beyond. And as a seminal awards night prepares its return, a nightlife industry award might be coming his way!
Thotyssey: Tanner, hello! Thanks for chatting with us today! So now is that time of year when both drag performers and the rest of us get into horror and camp aesthetics.. Is this usually a fun / inspiring period for your photography, or is it too tacky and basic, lol?
Tanner Abel: Hi! I love autumn in New York City, a cozy rainy day, a Halloween classic… I mean, The Shining and Elvira are both in my top four films. But when it comes to my work, I prefer to refrain from anything that feels like it’s made specifically for Halloween. Personally, I do think it is a very tacky time of year for photography–especially as it relates to drag. Sometimes when people tell me my photography is camp, I’m just like, oh, I was actually being deadass.
Congratulations on your Brooklyn Nightlife Awards nomination for Best Nightlife Photographer! You certainly deserve all the accolades for your work capturing the majesty of New York drag, and it seems fitting to be singled out by Brooklyn because many of your best-known subjects are from that scene.
Thank you! I’ve never really wanted to campaign to get nominated for anything, but my friend Essa was like, “You have to let people know you want it,” and I do. I’ve been working in the scene since 2014, and it’s really special to see how intertwined my photography has become with the visual culture surrounding drag, Brooklyn, and beyond.
Is there something about the Brooklyn scene that has specifically inspired you? And do you think it has evolved a great deal since you discovered it?
I definitely identify more with the Brooklyn drag ethos than anywhere else. It’s crazy that my peers and I who came up together are becoming older, and there’s now a whole generation below us. We’re established figures now, but still have the same hunger and rambunctious energy–now just with a sprinkle more of wisdom.
Could you share a bit of your origin story with us? Where are you from originally, what were some of your early inspirations and creative pursuits, and how did photography become your ultimate thing?
I’m from a small town in New York called Rome! My parents inspired what I do today, and I feel very creatively tied to both of them. My dad is a musician, and we made music together my whole childhood; he never made me feel like I had a stupid dream or idea. My mom pretty much set the precedent for all the things I love with fashion and pop culture. You can see her all over my work if you know what to look for.
They were also great about documenting my childhood; there was always a camera around, so that was ingrained in me. I began taking photos with a more documentary approach, while also doing painting and illustration growing up. Eventually I realized that I could combine the two–my photos could just be the paintings.
You went to Parsons! That must have been a very creative and challenging time. Was that where you learned a lot about who you were as an artist, and what you wanted to do moving forward?
I learned a lot at Parsons, and made the most of my time there. I was actually an outlier as a more fashion focused photographer. Surrounded by many fine artists, I was forced to learn how to contextualize my work and defend it as being both visually and conceptually sound. I think fashion photography can have a bad rap as being more vapid, but for me there’s thought behind everything.
How did you discover drag, and who were some of your earliest subjects in that scene?
One of my friends from high school was a milliner, and he made a hat for Kim Chi for the Season 8 premiere of Drag Race. I was asked to run and shoot that in the hotel before I even had much experience. I used an IKEA desk light for lighting, and those photos went viral.
Aquaria and I also moved to the city, and began fashion school the same year in 2014. We met pretty quickly at a Susanne Bartsch party, and started working together after. She ended up dropping out, but I remember after I walked my Parsons graduation I went to photograph some of her final looks from Drag Race Season 10–so our paths kind of lined up in a cool way.
We loved your shots of singer Jade for Paper Magazine in 2025! What was it like to work with her?
That shoot is a highlight for me in recent years, and represents more of the direction I want to go. Working with her was very easy; she was on board with the creative direction the Paper team and I came up with. As soon as she saw the first few shots I took, she said, “Oh, I trust you,” and was a very comfortable and generous collaborator. She invited us all to an event she had later that night at 3 Dollar Bill; a few queens were performing Jade songs including my friend Lana Ja’Rae. It was a cute collision of worlds.
Is it often a challenge to navigate the big personalities, egos, insecurities and whims of your subjects and collaborators, or are you always able to either adapt as needed or create a productive energy immediately?
I have always been told I have a very calm energy, which is helpful in situations such as photoshoots that can get quite stressful. My tone probably won’t change in response to someone being a total diva. On set, it is usually the photographer’s job to steer the ship– and I don’t think it’s ever quite sunk on my watch.
Do you think that there is something in a Tanner Abel photo that has a “tell” it’s from you? Like, do you have signature elements to your work that you’re conscious of?
I’m proud that whenever I do a big shoot or something new of mine is released, I usually get at least a few comments or messages saying, “I immediately knew this was Tanner Abel.” Bright color, graphic shapes and strong but simple compositions characterize my work. There is a certain flatness. I love the medium of photography because it consolidates everything into a tangible, two dimensional image. Beyond the formal visual elements, the way I combine and reinterpret references specific to me and my upbringing allows for a recipe that can’t be duplicated.
Is there any particular shot or campaign or project that you are the most proud of?
This is fresh, but I’m proud of the completely self-produced editorial I did recently with Ivy Wolk. I feel like it introduced me to a new audience, and also allowed people to see her in a different way–in a fashion girl context. It was also very validating to see comments like, “This is what happens when a photographer really understands who he’s photographing.”
Do your editorial ideas usually start in your own head, from the ideas of your subject, or from a collaborative brainstorm?
My favorite is when I come up with a concept based on the subject, and everything that follows comes from there. I’m usually hired to shoot a collection or hired to shoot a look, and then it’s my job to interpret that. But I love when I’m given the opportunity to build the world myself from the ground up.
Are you, like most artists, haunted by moments of “I wish I had done that shot this way instead of that way,” or are you able to let go of that stuff?
In life I can very easily get caught up in the past, but I’m lucky that with my work I’m able to let go of that stuff and just look forward. Sometimes when people ask me what my favorite photo I’ve made is, I like to say I haven’t made it yet… because that’s truly what I believe.
Tell us about your own history with drag!
I did drag for a long time, mostly in the form of self-portraits. But, after some time I realized I just like to be a man! Being in drag truly was so uncomfortable, and pissed me off.
But I don’t think anything died with that revelation. My drag name Tannerina lives on as my meme page T4NN3RINA, which has funnily surpassed my professional account. The same skills I used putting myself together, I use to this day. My fashion history studies contribute to the creative direction of my shoots, but I also love applying it to style consulting. I helped conceive Lana Ja’rae’s Emmys red carpet look and Season 17 promo look, and Jewels Sparkles’ finale look from the same season as well!
AI is coming for all of us in the creative world, but in a way people are already over it and crave authenticity more than ever. What are your thoughts, fears and hopes about this rapidly changing landscape?
I mean, I truly think it looks like dogshit… so I’m not threatened in any way aesthetically. But I will say it has encouraged me to allow space for imperfections in images of my own. Maybe don’t remove every single scuff, maybe if a line isn’t perfect, it can stay that way… because it’s real and it’s human. I celebrate that my photos rely on set design, practical effects, or even me physically painting things in.
Do you have anything coming up that people should know about?
I recently shot a few fashion campaigns and photographed some musicians I’ve loved for a long time… which has been really fun. I can’t say too much yet, but there are some things I’m very eager for people to see. And as always, I’m working on more projects with my longtime muses–and a few personal projects of my own.
Finally: is there someone out there, anywhere in the world, that you’d really love to shoot someday but haven’t yet?
Grace Jones is my ultimate. She’s seen my work and said she’s ready to work with me, so let’s go! Other go-tos are RuPaul, Madonna and Lady Gaga… for obvious reasons. I am a gay guy.
And a great one at that! Thanks, Tanner!
Check Thotyssey’s calendar for Tanner Abel’s upcoming appearances, and follow him on Facebook, Instagram and his website. All above photos c/o Tanner Abel.
