Kevin Thom - Hamilton, Toronto, Ontario Photographer

I took this photo in mid-February, 2005, in the south of Thailand, on a beach that had been hit hard by the tsunami just two months before. The destruction left by the giant wave had been largely repaired, and the beach was looking cleaner and better than it had in a decade, according to the locals. However, the tourists, upon whom the community relies for its survival, were staying away. For the local hospitality workers, there was nothing to do but to play soccer on the beach, which they did with great joy. It was inspiring to watch these people live in the moment and work through the tragedy one second at a time.

You can see more of my travel photography in the People and Places section of my full portfolio.

A lot of times, people ask me why I photograph famous things, when there is lots of other relatively unknown subject matter worth photographing. In a way, I agree, and try to photograph these things too, but I also believe that just because something is beautiful and famous doesn't mean that it doesn't deserve to be photographed. In fact, I think these famous sites are the supermodels of architecture. I'd be a fool to go to Paris, and not photograph the Eiffel Tower, just as I'd be a fool to turn down the opportunity to photograph Gisele Bundchen, for instance.

My approach instead is to try to find a new way to photograph these famous subjects. For instance, in this photo, I arrived at the Eiffel Tower at about 6:30am, long before the throngs of tourists arrived. I wanted to get the most interesting light, and as little human interference as possible. It was an awe-inspiring place at that hour. Only cleaning crews, some armed guards, and the occassional jogger were there to keep me company. I hope I was able to capture that feeling.

You can see more of my travel photography in the People and Places section of my full portfolio.

I worked with Afro-soul singer Mamela to create this image, representing the bloodshed she witnessed and experienced during the struggle to free South Africa from apartheid. I love collaborating with artists to create powerful and meaningful images.

For more of my work with artists, please see my full portfolio.

Corporate headshots are an important part of my business. I enjoy taking photos of business people like real estate agents, accountants and lawyers. If you are working on one of these fields, it's important to have a photo that conveys your competence, professionalism, and approachability to your clients and potential clients. Have a look at my packages for corporate and executive headshots.

This is one of my favorite images. It's another one of my Femme Elemental series, which focuses on the essence of femininity.

I've got more artistic and conceptual photography in my full portfolio.

Whenever I shoot architecture, I try to find the critical angle and point of view that defines the structure. This is Montreal's Olympic Stadium. I hope I managed to capture it in a way that emphasizes its space-age look. Shot late at night, this was a challenging shot. The lighting was dim in some areas, and brilliantly bright in others. I had to use my hands to shield some parts of the composition while I did the long exposure necessary to get this image just right.

Brian and Jordan are Accidental Company, a sketch comedy duo from Toronto. With a few simple ideas, props, a short walk through their neighborhood, and their boundless energy, we shot a series of memorable promotional photos for their show in the Fringe Festival.

To see some of the other fun people I've photographed, see the performers gallery in my full portfolio.

This one always gets a reaction. I took it as a Valentine's Day image in 2005. I usually like to have some contrasting concepts in my artistic photography. Beautiful vs. Ugly, Hot vs. Cold, Good vs. Evil: the classic matchups. The pig's heart, lovingly positioned on top of a refreshing martini-glass full of ice seemed to say exactly what I wanted to say at that moment.

I've got more artistic and conceptual photography in my full portfolio.

I've got strong ties to the improv and comedy community in Canada and the US. Working with comedians is always a blast. Not only are they funny, but they're a creative bunch, and there is never any problem establishing a synergy to come up with images that jump off the page.

To see some of the other fun people I've photographed, see the performers gallery in my full portfolio.