Happy Monday—it’s time for us to introduce you to another member. Meet Tom Smith, a photographer based out of Missouri. Keep reading to get the story behind his featured photo.

1.) Can you tell us a little bit about your photo?

I call this image, “A Thousand Columns.” It is one of many hallways in the arcade around the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. The arcade has 1096 hand carved columns made of white marble panels inlaid with floral designs using gemstones like lapis lazuli, red agate and amethyst.

Taken by how clean and polished were all surfaces at the mosque, I learned that cleanliness is an important part of Islam and the practice of taking off shoes when entering mosques and homes is based on ritual cleanliness.


 
2.) What gear/software did you use to create this image?

This is handheld using a Nikon D3400 camera with a Nikor 18.0-55.0 mm f/3.5-5.6 lens. I used Aurora HDR software for post processing.

3.) What do you like to photograph?

I recently retired and am spending a significant amount of time traveling. I like shooting cityscapes and can spend hours getting lost in urban settings – most recently, New York City, Paris and Marrakesh. Also, I enjoy pairing audio tracks with my images to tie a story together.

4.) Were you inspired by a KelbyOne class or instructor to create this image? If so, which class

I’m a new KelbyOne member and have taken a dozen, or so, basic classes. Scott’s “Shooting Travel Photos Like a Pro” was helpful as it related to finding the best light and photographing people on the street.

5.) What’s your favorite class on KelbyOne and why?

My photographic challenge is getting images where the subject is absolutely in sharp focus. Matt Kloskowski’s “How to Shoot Tack Sharp Images” and Moose Peterson’s “The Secrets to Creating Super Sharp Images” are both good in this respect.

You can see more of Tom Smith’s work in his portfolio and here’s a link to his “Children of India” slideshow.