Tom Duffy Fine Art Photography

Artistic Approach

In my work, I do not seek to “capture” scenes; indeed, it is really not possible to “capture” what we see. Rather, I am a lens-based artist and, much like oil and water-color artists, I seek to share my perception and understanding of the environment in a way that will stimulate the imagination and emotions of the viewer.

I look for interesting compositions and interactions that tell a story and engage the emotions. My style emerges from that work. Consistent with this and with the diversity of my mentors, I have been on a journey exploring different photographic genres, e.g., nature, documentary/conservation, and still life. I try to have projects going in multiple genres since I find a synergy that makes conceptualization and execution of all my work better.

Clients over the years have most often described my work as “painterly”. I am pleased with that characterization since providing soothing and stimulating (not a contradiction) images is my goal.

My Background

I began my fine art photographic career in 2002. My career before that was as a cognitive psychologist studying how people learn and how to design effective learning environments. That is to say, I am not formally trained. However, I feel I have received excellent training through workshops held around the country and through a senior level photography course offered by James Nakagawa at Indiana University. Learning how James worked and learning his techniques for using Photoshop were great confidence builders. I do want to describe some of the workshop leaders I studied under.

John Sexton was Ansel Adams last assistant. He and Charles Cramer drilled into us how we needed to focus on the quality of our image; going slow in exploring compositions; examining our images not just as digitals, but as matted prints so we can reflect on the final product; and living with the matted image at home to see if it has an impact on us.

Peter Turnley is a street photographer well known for his work in Paris and New York as well as in conflict zones. Hus photographs have been on the cover of Newsweek 43 times as well as in a variety of other publications, e.g., National Geographic. It was with him that I did my work on Venice Life.

Phil Borges focuses on portraitures of indigenous people in their environment. He describes his work as storytelling for social change. I learned a lot about in situ portraiture but I struggle with how my photograph ... view more »

Artistic Approach

In my work, I do not seek to “capture” scenes; indeed, it is really not possible to “capture” what we see. Rather, I am a lens-based artist and, much like oil and water-color artists, I seek to share my perception and understanding of the environment in a way that will stimulate the imagination and emotions of the viewer.

I look for interesting compositions and interactions that tell a story and engage the emotions. My style emerges from that work. Consistent with this and with the diversity of my mentors, I have been on a journey exploring different photographic genres, e.g., nature, documentary/conservation, and still life. I try to have projects going in multiple genres since I find a synergy that makes conceptualization and execution of all my work better.

Clients over the years have most often described my work as “painterly”. I am pleased with that characterization since providing soothing and stimulating (not a contradiction) images is my goal.

My Background

I began my fine art photographic career in 2002. My career before that was as a cognitive psychologist studying how people learn and how to design effective learning environments. That is to say, I am not formally trained. However, I feel I have received excellent training through workshops held around the country and through a senior level photography course offered by James Nakagawa at Indiana University. Learning how James worked and learning his techniques for using Photoshop were great confidence builders. I do want to describe some of the workshop leaders I studied under.

John Sexton was Ansel Adams last assistant. He and Charles Cramer drilled into us how we needed to focus on the quality of our image; going slow in exploring compositions; examining our images not just as digitals, but as matted prints so we can reflect on the final product; and living with the matted image at home to see if it has an impact on us.

Peter Turnley is a street photographer well known for his work in Paris and New York as well as in conflict zones. Hus photographs have been on the cover of Newsweek 43 times as well as in a variety of other publications, e.g., National Geographic. It was with him that I did my work on Venice Life.

Phil Borges focuses on portraitures of indigenous people in their environment. He describes his work as storytelling for social change. I learned a lot about in situ portraiture but I struggle with how my photography can impact social change in Indiana.

I invite you to look at the work of the websites of these committed photographers.

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Affiliations and Awards

Please tell us about your affiliations and awards. (For individual artists only; arts organizations may skip this section):

I am a member of Indiana Artist Club and Indiana Artisan, both statewide groups that jury in members. I am also a member of the Arts Alliance of Greater Bloomington (where I am currently the vice-president), the North American Nature Photography Association, and the Artists for Climate Awareness. I have been a part of juried art shows across the country, though I am now focusing more on local galleries. Focusing just on his past year I won best of show at the Gallery Seven juried show Open Lens 30 for my photograph “Boots”. I also won a merit award for my photograph “Salsify Fantasy” at the Indiana Artist juried show at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. I have also won awards from Black and White Magazine, Photographer’s Forum, Photo District News, and the North American Nature Photography Association. I have been a part of the art fair scene since I began my career, participating in up to 11 shows a year – always shows that are within an hour drive of Bloomington.

Art Shows and Exhibitions

Where can we find your art? (For individual artists only; arts organizations may skip this section):

Of course, you can find my photographs in the gallery here and on my website (TomDuffyPhotography.com). However, if you want to see the real thing and be able to touch pieces, you can find my work at Hoosier Artist Gallery in Nashville IN and the Arts Alliance Center in Bloomington. A few of my pieces can also be found in Indiana Artisan galleries in Carmel, IN and French Lick, IN. If you would like to see particular pieces, you can also contact me directly.