Kevin Thom - Hamilton, Toronto, Ontario Photographer

Here's a spontaneous portrait of my close friend and collaborator, fellow photographer Jenni Tapanila. You might know her as suzi9mm. She's a terrific talent, and one of my favorite people in the world. I shot this photo after she'd just finished doing a shoot in my studio. I grabbed another friend's wooly hat and glasses, and put them on her, then snapped this photo. I only took one, but I like how it turned out. Sometimes one is all it takes.

For more portraits, check out the Portraits section in my full portfolio.

To me it's not enough to just take a pretty picture. There are lots of pretty pictures out there. I want my photos to speak to the viewer, to say something more than what appears on the surface. I want you to feel rewarded looking at my photos if you're willing to dig through some subtext.

That being said, I don't shy away from trying to make the photo as beautiful as I know how.

You can see more photos like this one in the glamour section of my full portfolio.

I shot this photo to promote an improv show called Crazy Eights. I love how Nada Jovic looks entirely off her rocker. It's a testament to her ability to emote, that she can portray this with just her eyes.

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

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 portrait is just plain bad-ass. Max Boateng is the model.

To see more portraits with character, check out the Portraits section 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.

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.

After an autumn rainstorm, I saw this golden leaf lying in the parking lot. To me, it looked like it was trying to blend into its unnatural surroundings. Do we often try to do the same thing?

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

This image is a collaboration with Hamilton artist Laura Hollick. It's part of a series of "Masterpiece" photos inspired by iconic images from the world of art. All of them will include elements of Laura's own art. This one is based on Boticelli's famous painting, The Birth of Venus.

All of my promotional photos are collaborations. I love working with inspired people to create photos that express who they really are. To see more, please see my gallery of promo photos.