Street and portrait photographer Tom Hoops joins us to talk about his unplanned path into photography, why he builds his portrait style around rawness instead of polish, and why he founded The Underexposed Community.
In this episode:
Tom's origin story: picking up a camera to shoot reference photos for paintings — and never going back to painting
The early Flickr community (including photographers like Jack Davidson and Brett Walker) that shaped his eye
Why he tells photographers starting out to avoid Instagram, other photographers' work, and how-to books until they've built their own body of work
His case against the "corporate headshot" look and what he's chasing instead
Shooting underexposed on purpose, working on location, and why he sets his lights once and then forgets about them
What actually separates working photographers from hobbyists (hint: it's not the gear)
The industry problem of shrinking access time on assignments — and what publishers get wrong
Why he started The Underexposed Community and what it offers photographers looking for real peer connection
Timestamps:
3:33 — Introduction and dice-breaker question
4:41 — Tom's background and path into photography
9:09 — The moment he knew photography was his profession
10:54 — Looking back at early work, and the fashion photography learning curve
16:52 — Why he tells new photographers to avoid studying other photographers early on
23:22 — Why lighting setups matter less than people think
25:05 — Rejecting the corporate headshot look; shooting subjects "powerful" instead of polished
30:55 — Where the "raw" feel actually comes from: direction, location, editing
39:01 — Advice on turning photography into a full-time living
44:15 — Founding The Underexposed Community
56:55 — Tom's advice to photographers just starting out (or to his younger self)
Retouch4Me - https://retouch4.me/ - remember to use promo code "nerdy" to get 20% off
About My Guest
Tom Hoops is a portrait and fashion photographer known for his distinctive, emotive style and ability to capture raw human character. Working between studio and location, Tom's images blend strong composition with a cinematic use of light, creating work that feels both contemporary and timeless.
His photography has been featured internationally, and he is recognised for his intuitive approach to directing subjects and uncovering authentic, powerful moments.
Tom is also the founder of Wild Dogs in Paris, Wild Dogs Editions and Underexposed.
The Nerdy Photographer Podcast is written and produced by Casey Fatchett. Casey is a professional photographer in the New York City / Northern New Jersey with more than 20 years of experience. He just wants to help people and make them laugh. You can view Casey's work at https://caseyfphoto.com
If you have any questions or comments about this episode or any other episodes, OR if you would like to ask a photography related question or have ideas for a topic for a future episode, please reach out to us at https://nerdyphotographer.com/contact
Podden och tillhörande omslagsbild på den här sidan tillhör
Nerdy Photographer. Innehållet i podden är skapat av Nerdy Photographer och inte av,
eller tillsammans med, Poddtoppen.
