True Wildlife - Tom D. Jones

True Wildlife Tom D. Jones

The absolute freedom of the animal is key to me, so there is no animal in my series that is fed, lives in a private reserve or in any form of captivity. The special approach and perspective I use in most of the pictures forced me to get very close to the animals. However, most wild animals do not tolerate strangers in their comfort zone. This sometimes entailed risks but above all a great sense of humility because of man’s vulnerability. This series should accentuate the unique aspect of our wildlife and command the respect that these creatures deserve. We have to understand that we are only here for an ephemeral time and we can only use the planet like any other creature. Still, it is sad to see how we deal with this treasure put at our disposal for a while and then passed on to future generations.

In recent years, Tom D. Jones’ fine art photography has won a great many awards in large international competitions. Yet, the most striking one is the Hasselblad Master Award 2012. Worldwide this biennial exclusive photo happening stands for creativity, art and craftsmanship. Consequently, Tom D. Jones is the first Belgian Hasselblad Master to join a list with famous names such as Anton Corbijn, Albert Watson, Marco Grob... His work is characterised by clean compositions, light and depth, reflecting mainly infinite serenity and simplicity.