Tom’s Best Photos

So this is one of the first photos that I shared and one that kind of kicked off the photography journey. I remember wanting to do a sunrise photo over the hills on the street right behind my parent’s house about a week after I had bought my first camera. Took me three days of freezing in my car to get the timing right with the sunrise. A photo I’ll never forget taking and will always be proud of.

Oh this dog. Her name is Chloe and she’s my family’s dog. Always an attention seeker, has a constant desire to be loved, and wow does she love the camera. Pets and animals always seem naturally photogenic but this beautiful girl takes it up a notch. It’s almost like she knows what I’m looking for or something because she does an unreal job of staying still and looking directly into the camera. She can be a handful at times too but getting that connection and sharing those moments with her is always special.

2019. Metro New York Club Sectionals. Alternative Stacks. Jordan Jamal.

To be honest I’m not sure he’s aware this picture even exist but I love this photo. I don’t remember all the circumstances around it but I do know it was later in the day on Sunday for bracket play. It was also just after he caught the game winning score on universe point. I’m a pretty competitive person so the emotion on display here really resonates. Was just super fortunate to be able to snap this one just right to get all that emotion sort of display.

This was such a special day for me personally. Moving up to Vermont in 2019 seemed a great choice for me at the time career and life wise. Obviously Covid came through and turned things upside down and made life challenging for a while. I think it was about in August or September of 2020 after not really leaving the house for a few months, a couple of co-workers invited me to come out with them for a day and really just experience life again for a little while. They showed me a couple of river spots that we went swimming in and then took me to a short hiking trail that culminated in this photo. That day was exactly what my soul needed at the time and this view to cap that day was breathtaking. The full resolution image works wonderfully as my dual screen background for my computer and is an awesome reminder daily of that special day.

I LOVE this photo. There’s a part of my brain that knows that there isn’t anything really going on here to make it special, but there’s another part of my brain telling the first part to shut up because this photo is perfect for just being a perfect little moment. The stare, the hat, the stature, the hands, the man. It just all works so incredibly well together and really feels like it could be a professional portrait or out of a movie. I’ll be the first one to admit I am not really technically gifted when it comes to photography, I just pick up the camera and go, but this picture right here makes me feel like a pro whenever I look at it.

2019. Vacationland. Colt. Logan Edwards.

Another photo that makes me feel kind of like a professional whenever I see it. That tournament was so HOT as it was the middle of the summer and still fairly early in the club season. Colt literally had a sideline chant that consisted of them just yelling Naturdays over and over which was hilarious. I don’t know how it exactly originated but this photo was the culmination of that slight obsession. Shouted out Natural Light when it got posted and sent it to them hoping to get a sponsorship for the boys but nothing came of it sadly.

Friends are just the best thing. These two have been with me through thick and thin and been nothing but supportive. This was right around the time I started bringing my camera with me everywhere I went. We went to grab ice cream after we all got out of work and I snapped this on our way back to the car. Capturing a sweet, loving moment like this was really special because they’re my best friends and I want nothing but happiness for them. To be able to present them with a small glimpse of their love from the outside looking in was a really good feeling and small way to thank them for everything they do for me.

I’m going to start this one by saying a MASSIVE THANK YOU to Iris, Liana, and the ladies of Ignite Hartford who were super welcoming and accepting of me taking photos of their tryouts. I was very fortunate and privileged to be given the opportunity to come take photos of their tryouts for their inaugural season. It was what really stoked the passion and really gave me the thought and belief to pursue photography more. Without the chance that they had given me, Active Optics probably wouldn’t exist and I am very indebted to them for trusting me. Some of the photos from back then, in retrospect now, are not very good but the support they gave was enough to spark a self belief to continue on with it!