Thomas Brand’s Cinemagraphs

Meet cinemagraph creator and Flixel Wizard Thomas Brand in this episode of The Creator Series.

Thomas Brand serenades you with cinemagraphs.

We aren’t exaggerating. You will be swept away by rivers, forests and even just a look from one of his subjects when you spend a few seconds staring at any one of his living photos. Each portrait, field, and urban corner captured in Thomas Brand’s cinemagraphs is a soothing escape. They are a way to chase your wanderlust without ever leaving your home; but after seeing his work, you will probably want to go, anyway.

While meeting Thomas this past November in Brooklyn, New York, we realized that he is just like his work; incredibly warm and inviting, and connects instantly with anyone that he meets. See how in Thomas Brand’s episode of The Creator Series:

Visual Composing 101

Thomas credits his father for his keen eye for detail and love for photography. He taught him how to clearly look at the world and find what is interesting. Thomas now applies this viewpoint to both his passion projects and his creative assignments at the advertising agency he works for in Munich, Germany.

Thomas has always emphasized visual composing in his work. While studying in London, he would roam the streets with a friend and their analog cameras to shoot on film. Carefully thinking about the amount of film he had, he used his viewfinder to maximize the potential of each shot, a challenge that is elevated by cinemagraphs. “I studied photography and graphic design. I filmed a lot, but there was never this link between photography and videography,” he described.

When Photo Meet Video: Cinemagraphs Fill the Gap

After coming across cinemagraphs by Sherif Mokbel online, Thomas decided to give the world of living photos a try using Flixel Cinemagraph Pro. He enlisted his friend and model Sarah to appear in his cinemagraphs and often included the natural beauty found across Germany, the Alps and other European landscapes in his work. Cinemagraphs enabled him to pursue his own interests in nature and travel, while using the techniques and visual composing that he has always practice– it was a perfect fit.

“[Cinemagraphs are] such an interesting combination of these two disciplines, of still imagery and moving pictures. You get something new of it.” 

Thomas Brand

A Brand Amongst Brands in Times Square

Thomas Brand’s cinemagraphs transport his viewers. Recently, his work did the same for him.

Thomas won Flixel’s #MyFlixelMoment contest earlier this year. As a part of his prize, we flew him from Germany to meet us in New York for our event #CINEMAGRAPH. We were also thrilled to display his winning cinemagraph in our Flixel’s ad in Times Square. As he told us, “It was my first trip to the US and it was so impressive to be there, especially standing in the middle of Times Square and suddenly your cinemagraph appears on this big screen. I was so excited the whole time.” 

We were just as immersed in Thomas’ cinemagraph in Times Square as we are at home. This speaks to both the medium and Thomas’ vivid storytelling, which lived beautifully in the world’s advertising capital. As an advertising professional, Thomas is very familiar with the role of visual communications in the field. “Advertising has a rather bad reputation for people. But it’s mostly because a lot of advertising is in fact no good,” he noted. “It’s such an interesting field to work in, and referring to cinemagraphs, they have a big potential in advertising. People actually enjoy looking at them, rather than being annoyed.” 

With Thomas Brand’s cinemagraphs, it’s hard to imagine anyone becoming annoyed. The combination of his style, visual composing and ability to pull beauty in every piece reflects how art can blend into the world of advertising. We’re lucky to have Thomas as a part of the Flixel community because he helps bring viewers, and cinemagraphs, to a new frontier.