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Todd Selby, Photographer

Jacob Dobkin

Published Apr 9, 2010

Modified Apr 9, 2010

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Jacob Dobkin

Published Apr 9, 2010

Modified Apr 9, 2010

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Todd Selby is a photographer who takes pictures of people inside their homes. He's just published a book of his work. We asked him a few questions about his life.

For the last two years you've been putting up very pretty photo-essays about people and their homes. How'd you get into that work? What do you find inspiring about it? I have been doing portrait photography for 9 years. Mostly people in their homes and that sort of thing for magazines. I was always really interested in learning more about the people I was shooting and visiting their spaces. I think that in many cases you can learn a lot about people through what they decide to put in their homes.

Do you ever feel that your work celebrates a kind of empty materialism? That is, does taking pictures of rich people surrounded by their worldly treasures ever make you feel spiritually sad? Do I take pictures of rich people surrounded by their worldly treasures? That's not how I would describe what I do.

You've done more than 150 posts on the Selby—what was your favorite one? What was the weirdest thing you've ever seen while you were shooting in someone's house? My favorite one, that's a hard question. Because this is such a personal project for me every shoot I do for my myself at the end of the day so I really do like them all. The weirdest thing I ever saw was Marilyn Monroe's sleeping pills at Jacques Grange's home.

Where did you meet all these beautiful people? What's the secret to talking them into letting you take pictures of them at home? I meet them through my friends, the whole process is very organic and word of mouth. The secret to getting people to open their homes to my project is to be polite and respectful.

If you could live in any of these apartments, which one would you choose? The only one smaller than my own, Retts Wood in her houseboat in London.

You live in the East Village—but you spend a lot of time traveling. Tell us why New York is better than Los Angeles, London, Paris, or Tokyo. It is, right? As Biggie said so wisely "If I got to choose a coast I got to choose the East, I live out there, so don't go there"

Tell us about your method. How do you get such good pictures inside? What kind of camera and lights do you work with? Cameras and lights don't matter, its 10 years or full time experience.

Who are your influences? What other photographers inspire you? Lil' Wayne and The Cobrasnake are my main influences and inspirations.

Before you became a photographer, you worked as "as a translator and Tijuana tour guide to the International Brotherhood of Machinists, a researcher into the California strawberry industry, a Costa Rican cartographer, a consultant on political corruption to a Mexican Senator, an art director at a venture capital firm, an exotic flower wholesaler, a Japanese clothing designer, and a vermicomposting entrepreneur." How does being a professional photographer compare to your past gigs? Good question, my job right now is by far the best yet. I get to travel the world, meet really interesting people, go to their homes and snoop through their things. What could be better?

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Todd Selby

Jacob Dobkin

Jake Dobkin co-founded Gothamist with Jen Chung. In 2019, Jake released Ask a Native New Yorker, a book based on his Gothamist advice column.

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

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