I think I first came across Thomas Sarvello’s Instagram via a comment he left on a photo the Bowery Electric posted. It must have been sort of funny or interesting (or maybe it was neither and I’m just a lurker) but that’s how I came across his work. I’ve been following him for a while, more or less a year and I’ve been astounded by two things. One, the sheer quantity of film photos he’s able to both take and process. Two, that his photos are both so dark and so visible (it honestly shouldn’t work but somehow does). Thomas doesn’t shoot professionally to my knowledge, not for anyone but himself which is part of what makes his work so beautiful — it lacks any ego or self-importance. As it turns out he is as interesting as his photos are intriguing as you will find out from the below.
Can you tell me a little about yourself, the only things I know come from random Instagram tidbits.
My name is Thomas Sarvello, I’m 38 and live in Bed-Stuy. I grew up between Detroit and Boston. I basically take pictures like it’s my job, but like a lot of people following their passions, I need a day job. So to keep things going I’m a sometimes handyman, wardrobe lackey, driver, basically whatever keeps my rent paid and film in my camera.
It seems like you’re always posting about ten new rolls of film. How many do you go through?
I shoot at least 3 rolls a week but generally I’d say I average 2 a day. I’m aiming for two 35mm and two 120 average now that I’ve got a bit more free time. I shoot more the more shows or events I go to, 
which for
awhile I was seeing live music 3+ nights a week. Sometimes quite a bit more, I’d love to get back to being able to see some music/performance nearly 7nights a week, perhaps it’ll be possible again soon.
What are some of the defining parameters that define or shaped your lens?
I can’t say for certain but I’d guess my eye was shaped between social awkwardness, the gear I could afford, incessant movie watching, looking at photos, and minor depression… maybe some light substance abuse as well.
Is the darkness of your photos conscious or an afterthought?
A lot of the darkness comes from just not liking the look of overpowering light in photos, there’s no where to hide your secrets. It’s not a totally conscious aesthetic decision but it’s certainly just appealing and most of the things I enjoy occur in darkened spaces. I enjoy, grain, shallow depth/focus, and movement in my pictures… sometimes to my detriment… so it’s convenient that I like low light situations.
How did you first start taking photos? What are some of your most vivid photo taking 
memories?
My mom had a (for the time) pretty nice high consumer end Minolta (x-700, I still have it) SLR that she took all my baby pictures with, so a camera being around was familiar. And I must have played with it or showed some interest because I recall getting basic point n shoots of varying varieties (110, disc film, etc) periodically at holidays. Later into high school I’d be out skateboarding and going to punk/hardcore shows and borrowing cameras or using a thrift shop camera. In high school my dad got me a camera for my high school photo class when I moved to Boston. After a couple years out of high school through some serendipity I wound up enrolling at New England School of Photography which is where obsession finally took hold.
One of my favorite memories of taking pictures is really not interesting but it stands out like I’m watching it in a movie, it’s that vivid in my brain. I was in Paris in 2006 and at the Museè Rodin trying to take a self portrait at Rodin’s Gates of Hell. I’m not positive what camera I was using but it was something small on a little travel tripod. And people kept walking in the frame so it literally took me a hour of waiting until I could get a clear shot, I kept stopping the timer because I’d see someone wander that way, but by the third actual frame I’d shot I accidentally lightly kicked the tripod and the only clean frame of me alone at the Gates of Hell is slightly cockeyed. I laughed a lot that afternoon.
What are your favorite cameras and photo equipment to shoot/work with?
My current loves are a Contax T3 point and shoot. I shoot ALOT of my stuff on that. And a Canon Canonet QL17 giii rangefinder. I recently sold my underused Hasselblad 500cm to fund a Pentax 67. I had been coveting one for years and used a friends to shoot his wedding and said “yeah this needs to happen.” I have tons of other silliness but those three are kinda standardizing themselves in my daily.
Do you ever take staged photos or is it all candid?
There’s actually more “staged” photos than one realizes in my stuff, that said it’s generally all candid/spontaneous. I have in the past done more stages and have done some again and would love to do more. I’m starting a pretty straight portrait project adapted from one I had bad follow thru on, so that will certainly be more “set up.”
Has the relationship to your photography changed since the election? Your photos of the 
women’s march brought to mind how necessary it is to chronicle things in times like these.
It’s a tough thing to comment on as we’re just starting into this strange new era of “America” and to say “this is the new focus of my work” or some other self congratulatory nonsense seems insincere. It’s too early to tell how or if it’s changing me. I do think it’s hugely important to document all community action (protests etc) from outside the individual and small group bubbles since that’s where so much of self documentation focuses. And I like being involved and helping add numbers in solidarity. I also try to be more aware of people’s day to days. People who don’t have the luxury of protesting and being vocal. Also just being aware of the diversity of what this country is truly made up of and being respectful and documenting without being exploitive.
What are your favorite bands/performs to photograph? Does that differ at all from the people you tend to watch?
To answer the second question first, generally any band or musician that moves me creates the desire to interact and create with them through the lens/viewfinder whether they are aware of it or not. So rarely do I get fully mesmerized and just watch. PJ Harvey caught me for a full song where I just disappeared from the world. And I’m still pretty mad despite having had two cameras in my pocket that I don’t have a single black and white frame of Jenny Lewis doing a couple solo acoustic songs to 15 people at an east village dive bar open mic. Speaking of, I REALLLY loved seeing and shooting her side band NICE AS FUCK whenever possible last summer.
A few years ago Patti Smith said something about the soul of New York being dead, she was advising people to look to other places like Detroit etc. Do you think New York is culturally void?
As I said above, I grew up in Detroit and go back frequently to see my mom, and I love it there. Ideally at some point I’ll split time there and New York. I don’t disagree with Patti Smith buuuut I don’t really agree with her either. It’s certainly not her New York anymore. And it’s not the fertile soil for cultivating arts it once was. The world has changed a lot from 1975 when Horses came out to now. And if you look historically the 60s moving into the desperate 70s isn’t too far off from what we are experiencing now. And history could repeat itself if we’re not careful. Race riots or class riots and affluent flight from the cities… massive addiction and homelessness… a lot of flag waving and patriotic posturing, yet veterans being shit on…
But back to the arts part, New York will always be New York it is never the same New York as a pervious generations. And romanticism for “old New York” is silly because guess how many of us would be able to actually deal with it… I’m not sure I could. I think there’s tons of places that a ripe for creation. Detroit has amazing arts and music communities, so do tons of other places. New York does too still. You can’t un-know what’s come before just like you can’t see everything that’s happening ahead. You have to live and create now, right here, if you want to have that thing to talk about in the future.
Any photographers you really look to and admire?
I mean there’s so soooo many and I could do the laundry list, instead I’ll give my three main loves (Robert Doisneau, Nan Goldin, and Robert Mapplethorpe) and three people I follow on insta that are contemporary New York photographers that inspire me (Ben Rayner, Nicole Silver, and Kristin Gallegos) lastly three badass ladies on the west coast (Kristin Cofer, Deanna Templeton, and Danielle Spires) and finally and lastly since you mentioned her and she has influenced my world from many directions…. Patti Smith.
Find Thomas on Instagram.