One of the very best gifts you can give or receive this holiday season can not be left to the last minute. Portraits that capture the personality of your loved ones are priceless. But few photographers possess the talent to produce heirloom-quality images worthy of displaying over your mantel. Barrington’s own Thomas Balsamo is the answer. He’s an artist in our own backyard who creates and captures moments in time worth remembering forever.
Thomas Balsamo’s photography speaks for itself. With his work it is clear that the man behind the lens has achieved a mastery of his craft that you won’t find in your high volume photo shop. He invites clients into his home studio for a truly custom portrait experience and images your family will treasure.
“My whole thing is capturing the essence of people on camera.”
We’ll explain how Thomas captures that “essence” in just a minute, but first, we’re excited to introduce Portraits by Thomas Balsamo as the newest member of the Barrington Online Marketplace here at 365Barrington.com. Here’s a quick look at how the Marketplace works…
On Mondays each week, we’ll be introducing you to the latest members of our marketplace and they’ll be featured in our email we send weekly on Tuesdays to people who’ve signed up for our newsletter, The 365 Barrington Buzz. If you’d like to receive those emails, which will also include information about upcoming events, we’d be happy to add you to our list of subscribers. Just enter your email here and click “Submit”.
You’ll find the new community resource at 365Barrington.com/Marketplace. To have your business, organization, home or event featured in the new Marketplace,visit 365Barrington.com/Advertise for more information or call Liz at 847-691-3150.
Now back to Thomas Balsamo and what he means when he says, “My whole thing is capturing the essence of people on camera.” Thomas summarizes his technique with a quick explanation of two types of portraiture. “A lot of what you see is physical record portraiture, like what you looked like in 2012. My truest passion has been the interpretive style of portraiture, which is a more accurate interpretation of the individual rather than a mere physical record.”
When I asked Thomas how he creates that emotional element found in so many of his images, he told me it often comes down to our eyes. “The eyes are the window to the soul and lighting is really important…”
“…I spent my life developing my lighting scheme to capture eyes so that we can get a glimpse of the soul and, because of that, my work is recognizable and I have clients from around the world.”
And one thing Thomas has an eye for is composing images that are unforgettable. “I set up an environment where people can relax and be themselves. I’m not putting the emphasis on the pose. We’re putting the emphasis on being in the moment and being captured.”
With each session, Thomas anticipates creating works you’ll find worthy of displaying at home. “I only create one finish, the Giclée, which is ink on watercolor paper. I use the finest watercolor paper and carbon-based inks so they’re true museum quality pieces. Because my portraits are timeless, they’re a piece of art that people can keep up forever on their wall and they’ll never take it down because they’ll never get tired of it.”
Thomas is taking appointments today for portraits you can give as gifts for the holidays, but there are limited sessions available so, to ensure you can get on his schedule in time, he requests that you call as soon as possible.
For anyone who signs up for a session with Thomas Balsamo between now and Tuesday, November 6th, he will donate the sitting fee to Bob Lee’s Ride for 3 Reasons, which is coming to a close as Bob Lee returns from his ride this weekend. Bob still needs to raise $115,000 in individual donations to reach his $1 Million dollar goal to benefit initiatives related to Cancer, ALS and Hospice end-of-life care. To qualify, all you have to do is mention Bob Lee’s name when you call Thomas to schedule your appointment.
You can reach Thomas by phone at 847-487-7710, you’ll find his website at PortraitsByThomas.com, you’ll also find Thomas’ images on his Facebook Page and you can CLICK HERE to find the Portraits by Thomas feature page just published in our Barrington Online Marketplace.
