Behind the Lens
Welcome and thank you for taking the time to visit my website. I am truly humbled each and every time a someone considers me to tell their story.
My journey as a photographer is bit different than most. I took up photography while serving as an Infantryman in the US Army’s 101st Airborne Division. There I always had a camera with me and would take photographs of the other soldiers in my unit. Following my military service I continued my interest with photography by attending the College of DuPage where I earned an Associate of Arts in Photography and later a Bachelor of Arts in Business from Benedictine University.
I enjoyed a fulfilling law enforcement career which included working as a Crime Scene Investigator / Forensic Photographer with both the DuPage County Coroner's Office and Kane County Major Crimes Task Force (yes, I've shot some crazy stuff). Along the way I earned a handful of professional forensic certifications, did a little bit of teaching and even served as the President for the Illinois Division of The international Association for Identification, which is the state chapter of oldest and largest forensic association in the world.
It was during my time photographing crime scenes that I also held the ancillary responsibilities of photographing department events, formal headshots and annual reports. Before long I started getting asked by co-workers and friends to shoot their family’s portraits and even a few weddings. After shooting that first wedding I was hooked. Wedding photography quickly became my primary passion when off the clock.
I threw myself into the photography world and was very active in national associations. It’s no exaggeration to say that I spent about as much time attending workshops and soaking up education from leading photographers as I did taking pictures. Through that networking I enjoyed the opportunity to work for five seasons as a Lead Wedding Photographer with one of the most popular studios in Chicago and as a First Assistant to some of the top editorial photographers in the industry - including Zack Arias and Jesse Dittmar.
Today, I spend most of my time behind the camera documenting my family and our travels. However, I also continue to photograph a handful of weddings each year along with a wide variety of portrait work.
I live in the western suburbs of Chicago with my rather large family and our Siberian Husky, Juno.
If you love the work you see here and want something like it for yourself - please contact me. I would love the opportunity to tell your story.
- Thomas
“Picking Thomas was one of the best decisions of the wedding planning process. I would easily recommend Thomas to anyone getting married in Chicago.”