P&P Blogger Profile: Tom Moore

Tom Moore of Tom Moore Fine Art Photography

I will try and give you the quick and dirty version here, but if you want the feature length version check this out.

First and foremost I am grateful father of a incredibly smart and beautiful daughter and the lucky husband of a beautiful and loving wife. While I am originally from Cleveland, Ohio we live and work in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Photography has always been a passion of mine but initially I never intended for it to be more than that. I went to school for Marine Policy and have an awesome job working for NOAA on restoring wetlands and coral reefs ever since. While I have always loved the art of photography, I never considered it more than that up until a few years ago when people started insisting they pay me for my art. So slowly over the last couple of years I have begun to grow a small photography business as my “fun job”. I use the quotes around fun because I guess everything is pretty relative as my NOAA job is pretty fun in and of itself, you won’t catch me complaining about being paid to dive on coral reefs. So here I am a few years later I still love my day job and my “fun job” is booming so much that I am starting to have to turn clients away (Having time with my family is still my first priority).

Why do you blog?
I started as casual reader of a few photography blogs (mainly David Hobby’s Strobist and Scott Kelby’s Photoshop Insider) from there I keep finding links to other blogs and other photographers. I found myself not only learning a lot from other photographers via their blogs but also gaining quite a bit of inspiration. More than once when I would create a cool new photo or come upon something new or interesting I found myself wanting to share it with the rest of the community, I found myself wanting to blog.

If you only had time to read three blogs a day, which ones would they be?
David Hobby’s Strobist
Scott Kelby’s Photoshop Insider
John Nacks’s John Nack on Adobe

How long have you been using Photoshop/been a photographer?
Photographer since age 7 (gotta love the old 110’s) and a Photoshop user since the early 1990’s on an old school Mac Classic.

What type of camera(s) do you shoot with?
I just got the brand new Canon 1D Mark III and it is sweet…

Mac or PC?
PC but I long to get back to the Mac

What is your favorite piece of photo or computer equipment (other than your camera)?
My off camera flash/lighting equipment (thanks to Strobist)

What piece of equipment would you most like to get but don’t have?
A set of four Pocket Wizard Multi Max’s.

What advice do you have for a novice creative professional/photographer?
Take lots of pictures, be creative, push yourself but remember success in today’s market requires both talent and business savvy.

What inspires you to create?
Other photographers and my daughter Olivia

What would be your most important piece of advice about life?
Always work in a career you find personally and professionally fulfilling. Also never under estimate the amazing impact that children and true love can have on your life, I am blessed to have both.

Where would you most like to live (other than where you live now)?
San Diego, Hawaii or the South Pacific

What do you like to do in your spare time?
Run my photography business of course… actually I love to sail

What talent would you most like to have?
Teleportation

From Inside the Actors Studio:
What is your favorite word? Solution
What is your least favorite word? Problem
What turns you on? People who go above and beyond to make things work…
What turns you off? People who don’t even try…
What sound or noise do you love? Sailing at night (Ocean, Wind, Waves)
What sound or noise do you hate? Glass Breaking
What is your favorite curse word? F$%k
What occupation other than your own would you like to attempt? Politician
What occupation would you not want to participate in? Anything not fulfilling
If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates? Thanks for your hard work, do you mind going back?

*Note: If you there is someone you would like to see as a part of the P&P Blogger Profile series, please email Jason with their blog's URL. Also, be sure to check out the P&P Weekly every Monday for news about this site and a roundup of what other Photoshop & Photography Blogroll members are posting.