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 book THE SOUTHWEST INSIDE OUT (2001, 2004, 2010, 2014) has received five top publishing awards, and his most recent 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).
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 August 2015, DESERT DREAMS had its national debut in the USA on Public Television as a pledge drive program, the start of a 3-year license term. Before year’s end, the program grew rapidly in popularity among viewers, supported by 630 telecasts on 155 stations/channels across 62 markets in 20 states covering 40% of the USA.
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
The Southwest Inside Out, An Illustrated Guide to the Land and Its History
This guide to awe-inspiring landscapes of the Southwest is a richly illustrated, non-technical account of what they are, where they are, and how they came to be, covering southern California to west Texas & northern Mexico to northern Utah & Nevada. Full of visual and factual surprises, this book can be enjoyed on many levels. Each page-spread is self-contained for clarity and ease of use at home or on the road. Richly illustrated with 315 color photographs, 33 drawings, 7 maps (including a 15″ x 20″ tear-out road map). Annotated listings for 109 scenic attractions, 63 outstanding books, and 136 useful websites. Comprehensive index. 208pp
This new, 2014 edition (ISBN978-1-879728-06-6; Wild Horizons Publishing) includes the following revisions: a re-write of Capturing the Beauty: Photo Tips as well as updates to Where to Find Them, An Annotated List of Southwestern Parks and other Notable Sites of Geological Interest and Good Books & Website, An Annotated Selection.
HONORS+AWARDS FOR THE FIRST EDITION: TOP TEN, Best Southwest Books of the Year. BEST BOOK across all genres, Glyph Awards biennial competition sponsored by the Arizona Book Publishing Association. FIRST PLACE WINNER, Benjamin Franklin Awards. FIRST PLACE WINNER, Independent Publisher Book Awards. WINNER, iParenting Media Awards’ Jr. High to Adult Books category.
