Thomas finds creativity through camera lens

September 9, 2015

Photo by Cory Wyman ’16 – Jeff Thomas ’16, posing with several of his photographs, incorporates both his creativity and personality into his photography.

By Luis Torres ’16
THE ROUNDUP

In the past year, senior Jeff Thomas ’16 made his photography unique by incorporating his creativity and personality into his work.

“Everyone can take a picture of the stars, everyone can take a landscape shot, but I like to add those weird, abstract elements,” Thomas said. “I think that’s what makes my pictures what they are. It really just is my stamp.”

Thomas said he learned the art of photography with articles, video tutorials, and the classes offered at Brophy such as Digital Photo and AP Photo.

Photo by Jeff Thomas ’16 | Jeff Thomas ’16 poses in a self portrait he created for AP Studio during his junior year.

Now, Thomas does as much as he can on campus to inspire others as co-president for the Photo/Video Club.

“I’m trying to get kids to explore all aspects of it, not just one niche. It’s really not that hard. If you’re creative, you can just figure it out,” Thomas said.

Mr. Pete Burr ’07 is the co-moderator for the Photo/Video Club.

“I was really impressed with his new approach to people. I like his idea that it’s not just for people who are in photo classes. I’m already impressed by his creativity for the club,” Mr. Burr said. “The most impressive part about him is how thoughtful he is. Nothing with Jeff is rushed, hurried or done halfway.”

Many recognize Thomas’s artistic imprint by his originality and various props such as pages from a book, fruits, body paint and even hands.

“The cool thing about Jeff is his ability to think outside that box, creatively. To establish some branding of his own, styles of his own where you can look at a photo and go ‘I know that’s Jeff’s photo,’ and that’s really impressive for an 18 year old,” Mr. Burr said.

An average photo session and post production period for Thomas ranges from an hour to nearly three.

“There’s a feeling of satisfaction when you have that image and then you see it in front of you. I thought it, I did it, I executed it and it came out well,” Thomas said.

Thomas plans to take his passion for photography to the next level in college and perhaps even as a profession.

“I’m the happiest when I’m climbing up the mountain and scaling just to get the shot,” Thomas said. “There’s no better feeling than looking down at your view finder and seeing something amazing.”