Troy Moth

Up and comer Troy Moth, who has almost the same name as me. Which is really scary, but at least I didn’t appear in HSM. Can I get any more off topic? Well, although you may own the name Troy, it’s even better when it’s paired with a scary insect. Must be a hard time telling people over and over, “Oh, like the scary insect?” Unfortunate. I usually get something like: “Oh, like the drink tray?” But I’ve learned to live with people’s ignorance. That being besides the point, Troy Moth is a Canadian photographer from Sooke, BC, who moved out to Toronto to pursue fashion photography. After two years of school in Toronto, Troy assisted a top photographer. Come September, Troy is fleeing the Great White North for India, which will be quite the experience.

Trey Taylor: Troy, is there any significance to your initials being TM?
Troy Moth: When I was a kid I would joke that it stood for Trade Mark, but that joke never received any laughs then, and it certainly doesn’t now. So I would have to say nope! There is absolutely no significance to my initials being TM.

TT: How would you describe your work slash yourself to people who haven’t heard of you?
TM: I would describe my work as something with European inspirations, and a cinematic style. I would describe myself as a pretty typical guy from the West Coast of Canada. I love the outdoors, I find nothing more pleasing than sitting by a fire after a long day of rock-climbing and hiking. I feel more at home in a forest than in a city. I feel more comfortable with a beard than shaven. But yet I am incredibly passionate about shooting fashion, weird, no?

TT: I’m in love with your book Fashion IV on your website. You can take a look here. How do you achieve this effect?
TM: This is done all through lighting and exposure - mixing two sources of light with a long exposure. I try to do everything I can in camera.

TT: What do you plan to accomplish in India?
TM: India is the next step for me, it just feels right. I cannot fight it. I will be working in Mumbai, building a stronger portfolio with international work.

TT: What direction is your work headed?
TM: Up… or Forward… I try to push myself on a daily basis, every day I do something to move myself forward… or up. I want to take my work outside, I want to work more on locations and with bigger productions. Story telling is something I have always wanted to express in my work, but find difficult to do in studio. I would like to have a deeper body of work, a body of work that has meaning, not just nice pictures.

TT: Name us your inspirations.
TM: Paolo Roversi, Peter Lindbergh, Javier Vallhonrat, Eugenio Recuenco, Yelena Yemchuk, Bharat Sikka.

TT: How in God’s name do you come up with ideas for shoots? There is something about your work that I find appealing. Tell me what I’m seeing.
TM: You are seeing the result of many scrap books of random notes that no one but myself could possibly read. Seriously, my penmanship is atrocious! These random notes eventually turn themselves into shoots.

TT: Let the world know something.
TM: A few years ago while hiking on the Juan De Fuca trail I came face to face with a Black Bear. I was nearing the end of the hike and my feet were blistered, my back was sore and it was pouring rain. All I wanted to do was reach the nearest tavern and have a beer, but this bear was blocking my path. In attempts to persuade him to move on I decided to toss my arms in the air and growl. Well, rather than running away from my terrifying charade, he stood his ground and growled back at me, showing me all of his lovely teeth. However his growl was not as big as mine! I decided that he may in fact be scared of me. I ever so slowly walked towards him (making sure not to attempt any more growling of my own) and right by him. I made it to the local tavern for that beer and to this day have never tasted something as sweet. g