Meet Tom Kates

We were lucky to catch up with Tom Kates recently and have shared our conversation below.

Tom, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?

I learned from assisting for other photographers, how hard they worked and how committed they were to their projects. I was initially surprised that so many other photographers, would seemingly go to any length the insure the success of their photo shoots. Whether it be super early starts, long days, and fighting through difficult weather, these photographers were ready to stick through it all, until they got the results they wanted. After a time, I really began to pick up that attitude and approach to jobs that I got. So my work ethic about photography was largely learned from other photographers.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I am a professional photographer who specializes in people photography for institutions, large and small. I have traveled the country on shoots for Universities, Pharmaceutical companies, hospitals and financial service companies. The balance of my work, concentrates on real people in their environments. My work tens to bring out the humanity and resilience of my subjects. I am always excited to see an image that tells a story about a person even if that story is a simple smile or earnest look.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Learning advanced lighting skills from expert photographers in the 1990’s

Being tenacious about making new business contacts

Always looking at other great photographers work and trying to pick up on their vision.

Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?

The hardest thing right now is what seems to be a freeze in the creative fields due to the chaos caused by the White House and its policies. The threat of tariffs etc has virtually halted many companies in their tracks. I am just holding tight, hoping more sensible (and consistent) policies begin to emerge.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

All Images Copyright Tom Kates Photography LLC

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