Today we’d like to introduce you to Tom Jodis.
Tom, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I grew up as a true Kodak baby. My parents actually met while working at Kodak, and from my earliest memories, our home was filled with photographs. Cameras were always out, film was being developed, and pictures captured every family moment. It felt completely natural that I would develop a deep love for photography as I got older.
That passion led me to work for Kodak myself for several years early in my career, where I gained an even greater appreciation for the craft and the technology behind it. After that chapter, I built a long career in corporate sales leadership, but photography remained a constant thread through my life.
Today, as a retired professional landscape and wildlife photographer, I spend much of my time traveling—especially to America’s National Parks—capturing the breathtaking beauty of our natural world. From the dramatic vistas of Yellowstone to the rugged coastlines and wildlife of other iconic destinations, I’m drawn to scenes that tell a story of wild places and fleeting moments in nature.
My images are available through my Etsy store, tomjodisphotography, where I offer fine art prints and digital downloads. Whether it’s a majestic landscape or an intimate wildlife portrait, each piece reflects my lifelong connection to the art of seeing and preserving the world around us.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I grew up as a true Kodak baby. My parents met while working at Kodak, and our home was filled with cameras and photographs from the very beginning. Photography felt like a natural extension of my world, so I even spent several years working for Kodak early in my career.
Yet turning that lifelong passion into a professional pursuit came with its share of challenges. For decades I poured my energy into a demanding corporate sales leadership career. Photography remained my creative outlet—something I pursued on weekends, vacations, and early mornings—but finding the time and energy to develop it seriously while traveling for work and raising a family wasn’t easy.
After retiring in 2019, I faced the steep learning curve of building a photography business from the ground up: mastering advanced post-processing techniques in Lightroom and Photoshop, investing in quality gear, and learning how to market my work in a very competitive online space. More recently, I’ve dealt with physical hurdles, including a difficult recovery from total knee replacement surgery and cataract surgery that temporarily affected my vision—both of which made hiking into remote locations for landscape and wildlife shots more challenging than I expected at this stage of life.
Despite those obstacles, the pull of the wild places never faded. I continue traveling primarily to National Parks and other stunning landscapes, chasing the perfect light and fleeting wildlife moments. Today my images are available through my Etsy store, tomjodisphotography, where I sell fine art prints and digital downloads. Every photograph represents not just the beauty I’ve witnessed, but the persistence it took to keep creating.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
What do you do?
I’m a professional landscape and wildlife photographer based in Omaha, Nebraska. After a long career in corporate sales leadership, I now devote my time to traveling and capturing the beauty of the natural world.
What do you specialize in?
I specialize in landscape and wildlife photography, with a strong focus on America’s National Parks and other wild places. I love chasing dramatic light, sweeping vistas, and intimate moments with wildlife. I also do some travel and lifestyle photography when the opportunity arises.
What are you known for?
I’m known for my authentic, unoverprocessed images that try to convey the emotion and scale of the places I visit. My work has a storytelling quality—whether it’s a lone animal in Yellowstone, a misty mountain sunrise, or the raw power of a storm rolling across the prairie. Through my Etsy store (tomjodisphotography), I make these moments available as fine art prints and digital downloads for collectors and creatives.
What are you most proud of?
I’m most proud of the fact that I was able to turn a lifelong passion into a meaningful second act after retirement. I’m also deeply proud of the way photography has let me contribute to my community—such as donating images to local organizations and photographing fallen law enforcement officers as a quiet way to honor their service. On a personal level, being able to share this work with my family, especially my grandchildren, and seeing people connect emotionally with my photographs means a great deal to me.
What sets you apart from others?
What sets me apart is the unique combination of experiences I bring to my photography. Growing up in a Kodak family gave me an early foundation, but my decades in sales leadership taught me empathy, storytelling, and how to truly connect with people—skills I now channel into creating images that resonate on a deeper level. I also bring patience and perseverance shaped by life’s adventures and recent challenges, including recovering from surgery. I photograph with gratitude and a sense of wonder rather than just technical perfection, and I think that comes through in the final images.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
The best ways to work with me or support my photography are:
Purchase my work: Browse and buy fine art prints or digital downloads through my Etsy shop at tomjodisphotography. Many collectors use the images for home or office decor, and I also offer custom personal-use licensing (for example, for cross-stitch patterns or other creative projects).
Commissions and licensing: I’m available for commissioned landscape or wildlife photography, especially for private collectors, businesses, or publications. I also license images for commercial use, books, or editorial projects.
Collaborations: I enjoy partnering with brands, tourism organizations, conservation groups, or other creatives. Whether it’s co-creating content, joint exhibitions, or photography for events and marketing materials, I’m open to interesting projects that celebrate the outdoors and authentic storytelling.
Follow and share: The simplest way to support me is to follow my work on social media (LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram), share images that resonate with you, or leave a review on Etsy. Word-of-mouth from people who love my photographs means a great deal.
I’m always happy to chat about potential collaborations or custom requests—just reach out through my Etsy store or via the contact information on my profile.
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