Thomas Gaitley

Member since 2021

Tom became a photographer during his sophomore year of college, while majoring in geology, when his father gave him his prized first camera: an Olympus OM-1. His love of photography, scuba diving and his passion for earth sciences have been intertwined ever since. The images he creates reflect this multi-disciplinary obsession with an emphasis on the patterns and textures of rocks and sediments and the boundaries between earth, water and light. These natural interactions have a powerful influence on his images.

His life has brought him to beautiful places in the world: living as a Peace Corps volunteer in Africa, trekking in remote areas of India, Nepal, New Zealand and Australia; extended road trips throughout North America; or working with clients across Europe. He is grateful for these opportunities to experience the diversity of the world’s people, landscapes and animals.

Tom uses composition, perspective, lighting and vantage points to isolate the elements of a scene and create a sense of depth and texture. He views photography as fine art and uses an array of techniques and tools to remove distracting elements and to emphasize and enhance those most captivating.

He loves the power, complexity and beauty of nature. When he is viewing a scene and trying to understand his emotional response - hoping to understand and isolate what drives his interest and attachment to it - he becomes a part of the moment that he is trying to capture. Tom does his best work when he is fully immersed in the process of planning, traveling to and experiencing the wonder of the environment around him. This often means spending long hours in the field - wet, cold and muddy but exhilarated. The fact that he produces some of his best work in these challenging conditions is fundamental to his art. His goal is to present fine art photographs that bring visual elements together into one consistent, honorable and uncompromising vision that conveys his feelings of the moment – the moment when a vision is most familiar.

All images ©Thomas Gaitley