Rhys Thirtle

Photography (MA)
This black and white portrait photograph shows a person seated sideways on a chair, looking directly at the camera with a calm and confident expression. They have short, styled hair and wear a septum piercing. The person is dressed in a fitted, Rubber, button up shirt and a leather harness. Their right arm rests casually on their knee, and the backdrop is a plain, light-coloured studio setting. The overall mood is bold yet introspective, combining elements of alternative fashion and self-assured presence.
This black-and-white portrait photograph features a person in a side profile, exuding a bold and stylised aesthetic rooted in leather subculture. They are wearing a black leather cap with chain detailing and a matching sleeveless leather top. Around their neck is a heavy metal chain secured with a visible padlock. The person is also wearing black leather gloves and holding the chain gently with one hand. A tattoo of a paw print is visible on their upper arm. The backdrop is a plain, light-coloured studio background, allowing the textures and details of the outfit and accessories to stand out. The image evokes themes of identity, empowerment, and queer subcultural expression.
This black-and-white portrait photograph features a person in a side profile, exuding a bold and stylised aesthetic rooted in leather subculture. They are wearing a black leather cap with chain detailing and a matching sleeveless leather top. Around their neck is a heavy metal chain secured with a visible padlock. The person is also wearing black leather gloves and holding the chain gently with one hand. A tattoo of a paw print is visible on their upper arm. The backdrop is a plain, light-coloured studio background, allowing the textures and details of the outfit and accessories to stand out. The image evokes themes of identity, empowerment, and queer subcultural expression.
Chain
This black-and-white photograph shows a person standing with their back to the camera in a confident pose, wearing a full leather outfit. The individual is dressed in a short-sleeved leather jacket adorned with patches, including ones that read “ECMC,” and a stylised logo with “TMC.” They are also wearing leather trousers with white side stripes. A patterned white bandana is tucked into their right back pocket, referencing the hanky code, a cultural signalling system within the queer and leather communities. The clean, white studio background focuses attention on the subject’s attire and body language, evoking themes of identity, pride, and subcultural affiliation.
This black-and-white photograph shows a person standing with their back to the camera in a confident pose, wearing a full leather outfit. The individual is dressed in a short-sleeved leather jacket adorned with patches, including ones that read “ECMC,” and a stylised logo with “TMC.” They are also wearing leather trousers with white side stripes. A patterned white bandana is tucked into their right back pocket, referencing the hanky code, a cultural signalling system within the queer and leather communities. The clean, white studio background focuses attention on the subject’s attire and body language, evoking themes of identity, pride, and subcultural affiliation.
Hanky and patches
This black-and-white photograph features a person dressed in full leather attire, evoking classic gay leather subculture aesthetics. The individual stands confidently facing the camera, with their hands mid-motion—either pulling on or adjusting black leather gloves. They are wearing a black leather jacket with zipped sleeves and a wide collar, a matching leather cap with a glossy peak, and a thick leather belt. Their face is partially shadowed by the brim of the cap, creating a dramatic, assertive presence. They have facial hair, a septum ring, and hoop earrings. In the background, softbox lighting equipment and parts of a photography set are visible, indicating this is a studio portrait. The image captures a powerful, composed figure, emphasizing themes of identity, subcultural pride, and performance.
This black-and-white photograph features a person dressed in full leather attire, evoking classic gay leather subculture aesthetics. The individual stands confidently facing the camera, with their hands mid-motion—either pulling on or adjusting black leather gloves. They are wearing a black leather jacket with zipped sleeves and a wide collar, a matching leather cap with a glossy peak, and a thick leather belt. Their face is partially shadowed by the brim of the cap, creating a dramatic, assertive presence. They have facial hair, a septum ring, and hoop earrings. In the background, softbox lighting equipment and parts of a photography set are visible, indicating this is a studio portrait. The image captures a powerful, composed figure, emphasizing themes of identity, subcultural pride, and performance.
Muir Cap
This black-and-white photograph is a layered, abstract composition that blends urban space with fragmented human forms and reflective textures. The dominant setting appears to be a multi-storey car park, with a car visible in the distance and overhead fluorescent lights casting long streaks of light due to motion blur or long exposure. In the foreground, the rough texture of broken asphalt meets a large puddle of water, which reflects surrounding elements in a distorted manner. Reflected in this surface—or potentially double-exposed—are the partial lower legs of a person in thigh-high boots or latex clothing, adding a sensual and subversive quality to the image. A leather cap with metal chain detail is faintly visible in the bottom right corner, ghostlike, as if submerged or dissolving into the water. The image evokes feelings of disorientation, layered memory, and queer space—blurring boundaries between body, object, and environment. The interplay of sharp textures, fluid reflections, and faint human presence contributes to an atmosphere that is both haunting and intimate.
This black-and-white photograph is a layered, abstract composition that blends urban space with fragmented human forms and reflective textures. The dominant setting appears to be a multi-storey car park, with a car visible in the distance and overhead fluorescent lights casting long streaks of light due to motion blur or long exposure. In the foreground, the rough texture of broken asphalt meets a large puddle of water, which reflects surrounding elements in a distorted manner. Reflected in this surface—or potentially double-exposed—are the partial lower legs of a person in thigh-high boots or latex clothing, adding a sensual and subversive quality to the image. A leather cap with metal chain detail is faintly visible in the bottom right corner, ghostlike, as if submerged or dissolving into the water. The image evokes feelings of disorientation, layered memory, and queer space—blurring boundaries between body, object, and environment. The interplay of sharp textures, fluid reflections, and faint human presence contributes to an atmosphere that is both haunting and intimate.
Rubber
This black-and-white portrait photograph features a person in a side profile, exuding a bold and stylised aesthetic rooted in leather subculture. They are wearing a black leather cap with chain detailing and a matching sleeveless leather top. Around their neck is a heavy metal chain secured with a visible padlock. The person is also wearing black leather gloves and holding the chain gently with one hand. A tattoo of a paw print is visible on their upper arm. The backdrop is a plain, light-coloured studio background, allowing the textures and details of the outfit and accessories to stand out. The image evokes themes of identity, empowerment, and queer subcultural expression.
This black-and-white photograph shows a person standing with their back to the camera in a confident pose, wearing a full leather outfit. The individual is dressed in a short-sleeved leather jacket adorned with patches, including ones that read “ECMC,” and a stylised logo with “TMC.” They are also wearing leather trousers with white side stripes. A patterned white bandana is tucked into their right back pocket, referencing the hanky code, a cultural signalling system within the queer and leather communities. The clean, white studio background focuses attention on the subject’s attire and body language, evoking themes of identity, pride, and subcultural affiliation.
This black-and-white photograph features a person dressed in full leather attire, evoking classic gay leather subculture aesthetics. The individual stands confidently facing the camera, with their hands mid-motion—either pulling on or adjusting black leather gloves. They are wearing a black leather jacket with zipped sleeves and a wide collar, a matching leather cap with a glossy peak, and a thick leather belt. Their face is partially shadowed by the brim of the cap, creating a dramatic, assertive presence. They have facial hair, a septum ring, and hoop earrings. In the background, softbox lighting equipment and parts of a photography set are visible, indicating this is a studio portrait. The image captures a powerful, composed figure, emphasizing themes of identity, subcultural pride, and performance.
This black-and-white photograph is a layered, abstract composition that blends urban space with fragmented human forms and reflective textures. The dominant setting appears to be a multi-storey car park, with a car visible in the distance and overhead fluorescent lights casting long streaks of light due to motion blur or long exposure. In the foreground, the rough texture of broken asphalt meets a large puddle of water, which reflects surrounding elements in a distorted manner. Reflected in this surface—or potentially double-exposed—are the partial lower legs of a person in thigh-high boots or latex clothing, adding a sensual and subversive quality to the image. A leather cap with metal chain detail is faintly visible in the bottom right corner, ghostlike, as if submerged or dissolving into the water. The image evokes feelings of disorientation, layered memory, and queer space—blurring boundaries between body, object, and environment. The interplay of sharp textures, fluid reflections, and faint human presence contributes to an atmosphere that is both haunting and intimate.

About

Rhys Thirtle is an artist and photographer originally from a small town in Cambridgeshire, where their passion for image making began at a young age. Growing up, they spent weekends in their mother’s photography studio an experience that sparked their curiosity and laid the foundation for their creative journey. While they often brought a camera to local events, it wasn’t until college that photography became a serious pursuit. It was there that they began to develop both technical skills and a distinct visual voice.

Initially drawn to fashion photography, they explored the genre for several years before shifting direction during university. In their second year, they began focusing on LGBTQ+ themes particularly the kink and fetish community through a combination of personal experience and in depth research. This intersection of identity, subculture, and visual storytelling has since become central to their practice, allowing them to document, celebrate, and challenge perceptions within these communities.

Leather Semitics 

This series operates at the intersection of visual culture, queer theory, and fetish semiotics. Drawing on Hal Fischer’s foundational work Gay Semiotics (1977), these black-and-white portraits decontextualise the semiotic codes of leather and kink within a contemporary framework. Each subject is photographed in stark, film noir-inspired lighting a deliberate invocation of secrecy, surveillance, and subversion that historically shaped queer visual representation.

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