Tom Gilmore Photography: Landscapes and Wildlife
The inspiration for my photography comes from Galen Rowell--mountaineer and photographer. In his book, Mountain Light, In Search of the Dynamic Landscape, 2nd edition, page 28, he says:
I began photography, not as a journalistic observer of events, but as a direct participant…my experiences in wild places were imprinting me with the most powerful memories of my life, memories that were difficult to share with people who hadn’t been there. My original goal was simply…to create images that would facilitate my sharing.
Similarly, I became a photographer after backpacking and rafting trips in the Brooks Range Mountains in the Alaskan Arctic. My desire was to create images that conveyed the beauty and vastness of a wilderness area that most people will never experience for themselves. This desire to bring home images from wilderness areas has led me to other wilderness areas in Alaska including Denali, Katmai, and Glacier Bay National Parks; the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge; and areas around Kodiak, Juneau, and Unalaska (Dutch Harbor). I’ve also backpacked in Gros Morne National Park in Newfoundland, Canada; and cruised among the islands in the Canadian Arctic and to ice berg calving areas on the west coast of Greenland.
Locally, I am focusing my photography on land conserved by land trusts in Southern Maine. I serve on the Board of the Great Works Regional Land Trust which is dedicated to conserving undeveloped land in the three Berwicks, Eliot, Wells, and Ogunquit. It amazes me how easy it is to walk into the woods in the 2nd most populous county in Maine and feel as though you’re far from civilization. I am photographing the lands that York County land trusts have opened to the public to increase awareness that these preserves are available for family recreation.