Tom received the Hamdan International Photography Award (HIPA) Content Creator Award in 2019 and the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Jinan International Photography Biennial. He has worked many roles in photography at top levels.
His activities extend from editing photo magazines to newspaper picture editing, teaching photography at masters level in university, developing journalism training in former Soviet Union, presenting two TV series on photography for the BBC, and a photography series on Singapore for China News Asia. He has hosted photography workshops internationally (Dubai, Sharjah, Cape Town, London, Manila, Singapore, Salzburg, Budapest, Invercagill, Bishkek, etc.). He has also judged some the world's top photo competitions (he was one of the founding judges of the Sony World Photography Awards) ... Tom has been around the block a few times.
He has been a Sony user since Cyber-shots from 2001 and Alphas from Sony A100 of 2006.
His photography has been exhibited internationally and is widely known through the 40+ photography books he's written. These include some of the first-ever books on digital photography published in 1999, followed by the best-selling 'Digital Photographer's Handbook' published in over 20 languages. Other notables include his 480-page award-winning 'Photography - the definitive visual history' as well as a number of e-books, including the unique 'Photography Judging' and 'Picture Editing'.
What is in your camera bag?
The camera that is always within 60sec reach (one of my OCD rules) is the beautiful RXRIII. Before that it was my RX1, but this upgrade is easy to hold, fast to focus, and delivers truly exquisite imaging.
I'd been saying the Alpha 7R III is the best camera I've ever used after very extensive experience of all kinds of cameras (I used to review cameras for journals). Then the Alpha 7R IV came along, and it's even better! So I have both in the bag along with the FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA, 24mm f/1.4 GM, the FE 12-24mm f/2.8 GM and FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM zooms. Plus I still use the superb A-mount Zeiss 135mm f/1.8 with an adaptor.
Almost as important is my outfit for listening to music when travelling long-range: the Walkman ZX100 hi-res player stuffed full with classical and world music driving the CH1000M3 noise-cancelling cans.
What is your go to in your Alpha kit and why?
My go-to camera - that's always with me - is the RX1RIII.
My favourite outfit is the Alpha 7R IV with the FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA as the images are always unfailingly gorgeous everywhere anytime - even when not in focus! I use this combo for everything from studio portraits to high-resolution flat-bed copying using pixel-shift.
Most memorable moment shooting with Alpha?
My project 'Inter-generation Portraits' was the best fun and most rewarding ever. For one series I used a pop-up studio in a container with bed sheet for back ground and white painted interior and one open side for lighting. Another series was in an empty shop on Onehunga Mall.
I made group photos of passing families with the Alpha 7R III and the 50mm f/1.4 ZE tethered to my lap-top. The purpose was to find and keep moments of unposed interaction. The sitters only received one instruction 'There's the seat: sort yourselves out.' Most sessions were over in under 3 minutes.
It was wonderful to be able to meet so many gorgeous, fun and open people through photography.
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