About
An educational media specialist, Thomas Wiewandt tells stories through pictures, with imagery that reaches from the grandiose to the intimate. In college and graduate school, he studied drawing, painting, photography, and art appreciation along with ecology and evolutionary biology (BS/Marietta College; MS Zoology/University of Arizona; PhD in Ecology/Cornell). A deeper understanding of all living things has helped to fuel his creative passions, and the medium of photography has allowed him to comfortably bring both worlds together.
Thomas has combined his photographic pursuits with ecotourism and publishing; and his love of wildlife and animal behavior led to motion picture work. As Producer or Director of Photography for four films for the BBC and National Geographic, Tom has been honored with four Cine Golden Eagles, a Gold Apple Award, and an Emmy Nomination in cinematography. His self-published books––THE SOUTHWEST INSIDE OUT (2001, 2004, 2010, 2014, 2025) and FOSSILS INSIDE OUT (2021)––have received top publishing awards, and his film DESERT DREAMS – CELEBRATING FIVE SEASONS IN THE SONORAN DESERT (Wild Horizons Productions) is based on his book HIDDEN LIFE OF THE DESERT (Mountain Press Publ., 2010; co-published 3rd Edition in 2022 with Wild Horizons Publishing).
DESERT DREAMS is a 52-min immersive multimedia production with no narration, showcasing 182 species of plants & animals in a seasonal chronology. It has been screened in eight film festivals, winning awards in three of them, and was nominated for two high honors by Germany’s Green Screen Environmental Film Festival: Best Music & Best Independent Production. In 2015, DESERT DREAMS had its national debut in the USA on Public Television as a pledge drive program. Its popularity on PBS grew rapidly, and as of 2026 it has been telecast in pledge drives every year for the past 10 years.
Tom is active in wildlife conservation with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and has lived and worked in the Sonoran Desert for 38 years. Visit www.wildhorizons.com
Featured Work
FOSSILS INSIDE OUT: A Global Fusion of Science, Art, & Culture
FOSSILS INSIDE OUT brings fossils, paleo-ecology, and the fossil industry to life in a beautiful and easy-to-understand format suitable for young adults and older, scientists and non-scientists. This large-format book is packed with information connecting the past, present, and future of life on Earth. It also reaches beyond the basics by covering historical perspectives on sub-sea exploration, fossil collecting laws that can confuse anyone, new imaging technologies, and the art of fossil preparation. Most of the imagery (90%) has been selected from the author’s personal photographic archive amassed over the past 34 years, supplemented by exceptional artwork from outside sources. Paleontologists, collectors, dealers, museums, and artists worldwide have generously helped to make this book possible. Authored by Thomas Wiewandt, who holds a PhD in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology from Cornell.
Other Works
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The Southwest Inside Out, An Illustrated Guide to the Land and Its History
2001, 2004, 2010, 2014
Awards and Recognition
- FOSSILS INSIDE OUT (Wild Horizons Publishing, 2021) was honored with a Silver Benjamin Franklin Award from the Independent Book Publishing Assoc. and was a Finalist in the 2021 Next Generation Indie Book Awards competition
- THE SOUTHWEST INSIDE OUT: An Illustrated Guide to the Land and Its History (Wild Horizons Publishing, 2001/2004/2010/2025) captured four national book awards, all gold.
- HIDDEN LIFE OF THE DESERT: And Our Future in the Drying Southwest (3rd Edition/2022, Co-Published by Mountain Press Publishing and Wild Horizons Publishing) has been honored with a Silver Benjamin Franklin Award from the Independent Publishers Book Association and a Gold Next Generation Indie Book Award.
