Tom Bodhi Reeves

Showing up as yourself is enough. We connect as humans before I pick up the camera. I'll guide you through the session with gentle direction around mood, movement, and expression. Whether we're in conversation or a shared silence, the goal is unforced images that convey a feeling.

I aim to capture natural expressions of real feelings, and genuinely beautiful moments that reflect your personality. My role is to create the space for that to happen under equally beautiful lighting conditions.

I create authentic human portraits shaped by narrative direction, real conversation, and an interest in how people want to be seen.

I started photographing as a teenager in northern California and southeastern Oregon, and later at Burning Man—early environments that shaped how I pay attention to people in their environment. Traveling through Thailand in 2005 expanded that awareness, teaching me to connect through observation and body language. Those experiences shaped how I work today: noticing nuance, reading energy, and understanding people deeply.

After earning a degree in ophthalmic medical technology, I moved to New York City and worked in ophthalmic photography, creating scientific images of the human eye. That work deepened my understanding of light, perception, and the mechanics of seeing. Graduate studies in Informatics and Information Science later added a systems lens, shaping how I solve problems and collaborate so the creative process stays organized and open.

In 2022, my photograph of a snowflake caught in my goldendoodle's coat won Apple's Shot on iPhone Macro Challenge. It appeared on a Manhattan billboard and was featured by outlets including The Washington Post, People, USA Today, and Elle. Before that moment, I had nearly stepped away from creative photography altogether. I'd shifted fully into healthcare imaging and technology, and the isolation of the pandemic narrowed my world even further. When things reopened and that image was recognized by Apple, it had an empowering effect. It reminded me why I make images and pushed me to reconnect with my community.

Since then, I've become a regular presence at New York Fashion Week, focusing on street style and the energy in the spaces around the shows. In 2024, I founded Lightwalkers, a New York-based photography collective centered on community, experimentation, and the shared love of capturing light. My creative work moves fluidly between editorial portraiture, dynamic street scenes, and quieter moments throughout the city.