ABOUT TOM:
I am a landscape astro photographer from the South Island of New Zealand, spending my time underneath the pristine skies and rugged alpine environments that our special corner of the world has to offer.
I first began using a camera properly at 13 years old back in 2018, enjoying capturing whatever met my eye and involving myself in digital art. I used to blend all sorts of photos I’d taken and colours together to create worlds and landscapes I could only imagine. It wasn’t until about a year later that on a clear night this newfound hobby of photography aligned with the thing that I am most inspired by - astronomy. There has always been something that has fascinated me about the night sky; the mysteries and vastness of space is something that never leaves my mind and always had me wondering ever since I was a kid.
Photographing the sky reveals that curiosity and wonder with each frame that I capture.
I worked as a night sky guide and teacher in Aoraki / Mount Cook, one of New Zealand’s most beautiful locations for 18 months, in which I built my skills in sharing my passion with others and built the majority of my photo portfolio.
My work is about combining real moments with the power of imagination through the photographic process, inspiring a perspective to look up and consider our vast universe. It’s this combination of personal expression and development combined with the beauty and challenges of the real world that makes it such a dynamic and exciting passion.
I owe a lot to photography - It has changed the way I view and appreciate things. It has taken me to some of the most stunning reaches of earth, and I hope you can get a glimpse into why I do what I do!
AWARDS & RECENT WINS:
2024 Royal Museums Greenwich Skyscapes Astronomy Photographer OTY
2024 Skywatcher Australia Astrophotographer of the Year
2024 New Zealand Astrophotography Competition
23 / 24 Capture the Atlas Milky Way Photographer of the Year