Today we’d like to introduce you to Marie Thomas.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Marie. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Photography, for me, was an accidental interest that’s turned into an amazing career. I grew up in LA and first picked up a camera at age 14, while in summer school. Almost immediately, I realized this was something I loved – and that I was pretty good at it. My regular school did not offer photography classes, so my mother petitioned the school district for permission to allow me to take night classes at a local community college.
At 19, I shot my first magazine cover for a national publication. I’m actually researching African-American fashion photographers because I may have been one of the first to have something published in a national publication. In any event, once I saw my name in the credits and my work on the pages, it lit a fire and my journey began in earnest. For a while, while I lived in LA, I held a 9 to 5 and shot on the side, but photography was my passion and my dream. So when I made the decision to move to Atlanta, I promised myself I would not work for anyone else again. Twenty years later, thank God, I’ve been able to keep that promise.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Yes and no. Atlanta has given me many wonderful opportunities working with and for a great number of celebrities and high-profile figures, but being a single parent with no local family make taking on some assignments difficult, especially those that involved travel.
Also, though, we’re just now, in Vogue’s 126th year, celebrating the first African-American photographer to shoot a cover for the publication. I have to wonder why it took so long for this moment to happen. It’s not like the talent didn’t exist before now. I’ve certainly had experiences myself. I’ve sent samples of my work into magazines, gotten an enthusiastic, positive response, and then suddenly, when I walked into the office for the first time, there was suddenly an excuse why they couldn’t use me after all.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Marie Thomas Photographer story. Tell us more about the business.
I love travel photography and shooting interiors. But I especially love photographing people. I think my strength lies in finding the truth in the image, in bringing out the person inside.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I don’t believe in luck, good or bad. I believe God places people or situations in your life for a reason. Everything is an opportunity and/or a lesson. I genuinely believe I’ve been blessed to work in a field that I love.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mariethomas.com
- Phone: 6787931628
- Email: headshotmadnessatl@gmail.com
- Instagram: mariethomas505
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