Tim Tadder, Light Gangster
©Tim Tadder
I caught up with Tim Tadder of Solana Beach, California, and the first thing I asked him about was why former Bush advisor Karl Rove called Tadder “the Light Gangster.” It turned out to be an exclusive, as Tadder says he’s never told anyone else where the moniker came from.
This particular light gangster went through a period of shooting a lot of “gritty, urban, and rough characters,” he explains. “Most of my images live on outdoor billboards and these things where lots of people congregate, but those places are sort of textured and gritty and dirty.” In a mirthful moment, Tadder and his assistants put together business cards reflecting this type of shooting he was doing at the time, and Light Gangster was one eight job titles he gave himself. Rove thought it appropriate.