CHAPTER28 / A SUCCESSSTORYI looked at Tom’s existing images. They were exciting and
highly competitive. I was surprised when he told me that
the images were not good enough for him. He told me that he
knew that he could push harder, creating visuals that had more
refined vision, impact, and personal connection. He wanted to
break through more visual boundaries and create images that
he would be proud to show. It was then that I knew that Tom
was a man who could be very successful.
For the next eight months Tom and I worked closely,
concepting new shots, viewing and editing images, and talking
about life. We decided early on that Tom’s editorial portfolio
would contain two books, a book of portraits and an ongoing
body of work about Lakewood, a community that was built in
California in the fifties after the war. Lakewood was one of the
first planned suburban communities in the United States. Tom
had grown up there, his mom still lived there, and he had been
documenting the community for years. The idea behind the
two books was to show his talent via single portraits while giving
editors the opportunity to see how Tom handles stories and
longer projects. Lakewood would also give editorial photo
editors an in-depth look into Tom’s purely artistic vision.
We determined that his book would contain both black-
and-white and color images. Color was a stretch for Tom as he
was more comfortable in the medium of black and white.
This was a potential stumbling block, but Tom simply took it
as a challenge. He spent little time wondering if, how, and
when his vision would transfer into the medium of color. He
just went out and created opportunities to shoot. He was
clearly excited about finding his “voice” in the color medium.
Tom had contacts that he was not afraid to tap. He wanted to
photograph his uncle the painter, his neighbor Louise, the
writers of Law and Order, and Vice President Al Gore’s run-
ning mate, Senator Joseph Lieberman. Most of his subjects
were not friends or close associates, yet Tom worked every
connection, never stopping to question himself or his
process. Not surprisingly, Tom found that many of these
folks were constantly busy. While other shooters would have
lost momentum, Tom stayed focused and was in touch on a
regular basis with all potential subjects. Ultimately he
photographed them all.Chapter 28.qxd 6/25/07 7:26 AM Page 173