Tom is far more than a run-of-the-mill landscape and wildlife photographer. Tom is what I consider a career photographer, modelling success in a crowded genre. Someone who has worked his ass off to build several successful photogarphy businesses. Someone who has immersed themselves in every aspect of the craft at a professional level. Someone who has reinvented themselves while holding true to their core passions. Tom’s story is one of constant reflection and adaptation to deliver outstanding work in various genres and ever-changing client expectations.
As a child, Tom was fascinated with bird watching and bird banding. At the age of 13, he took his passion to the next level by borrowing his dad’s Minolta XG-9 (a 35mm film SLR from 1979) to document birds. At this pivotal moment, Tom fell in love with photography—it was a foundation moment and one that inspired a lifelong career and passion. Tom’s fascination with photography continued throughout his childhood, school years, and university years. Tom was a keen athlete and became heavily involved in triathlons at home and overseas. His love and commitment to the sport soon saw him travelling to Hawaii for the annual Hawaii Ironman Triathlon event. Tom photographed these events and began selling his images to sporting magazines.
Tom’s focus and efforts as a sports photographer built a sizeable portfolio. This body of work led to Tom's hiring as a staff photographer for Australia’s premier sports photography agency, Sport The Library. Sport The Library was the agency responsible for photographing the Australian Olympic Team. Before long, Tom traveled throughout Australia to document the build-up and preparations for the Sydney 2000 Olympics. I recall the hype and lead-up to the Sydney 2000 Olympics - it was the first time the Olympics had returned to Australia since the 1956 Melbourne games. It was a time of national pride and showcased modern Australia to the world. As part of Tom’s assignment, he photographed nationwide test events, athletes at the peak of their game, and was fortunate enough to document the prototype Olympic Torch. Once the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games began, Tom was on duty to capture the opening ceremony, countless Olympic events, and the final closing ceremony.
Three years after the Sydney games, Tom’s personal and professional focus shifted. He and his partner started a family, and Tom pivoted his focus from sports to photographing kids and families. Operating from the family home, he built a new business based on photographing families in local parks and at the beaches of the Mornington Peninsula. Tom once again transitioned his photography business away from families and onto dogs. His dog photography business proved to be popular and became the go-to place for professional dog portraits. The business continued to grow, and Tom’s love of photo books saw countless editions of dog portraiture books published under the title Woof! Over the 11 years Tom operated Ella and Friends (the name of his dog portraiture business), he donated over $100,000 to various essential charities. While Tom sold Ella and Friends to another photographer in 2014, the company is still publishing Woof! - Volume 13 - a tribute to the legacy that Tom began.
While Tom is a multi-disciplined professional photographer, his true passion is photographing Australia’s stunning and majestic landscapes. Australia is a massive country and one brimming with natural beauty and wonder. Tom’s landscape photography inspirations include leading Australian photographers Ken Duncan and Peter Lik. Ken Duncan is considered Australia’s pioneer of landscape photography and selling landscape art as limited edition art. Peter Lik is equally renowned for his stunning landscape work and ability to showcase the raw beauty of the Australian landscape. In 1997, Tom completed the famous Overland Track in Tasmania, Australia. It was his first foray into serious landscape photography. The Overland Track is a 65km, six-day hike that’s not for the faint-hearted. However, it’s one of the most beautiful walking tracks in the world. It traverses through the heart of the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park within the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.
Tom’s love and pursuit of landscape photography have been ever-present throughout his life and career. Initially working with a borrowed panoramic film camera, he documented Australia’s expansive landscape at every opportunity. However, it wasn’t until 2009 that Tom turned his vast collection of landscape images and experiences into photography books. His first published books included a collection of images from Cradle Mountain (Tasmania), the Milford Track, and the Routeburn Track (Fiordland National Park, New Zealand). Tom has since published countless physical books and e-books, including coffee-table style landscape collections, and essential guides for photographers. Tom’s photography crown jewel is his art gallery on Main Street, Morning, Victoria. Operated and led by his wife, Mary, the gallery showcases and sells wall art, proudly displaying Tom’s majestic landscape works. If you’re ever down that way, be sure to drop in and say hi.
“For the past 25 years, I've had the privilege to call the Australian wilderness my office. For me, there’s nothing more exhilarating than being surrounded by this serenity. Whether it be standing on top of a mountain, or wandering along an ancient dry creek bed, my heart and soul always feels at home amongst these landscapes - Tom Putt”
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Find Tom:
Website - https://tomputt.com/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/tomputtgallery/
