Meet Bobby Thomas | Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Bobby Thomas and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Bobby, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
Originally from Amarillo, Tx and moved to Mesquite in January of 2021. My background, I was around racing all my life, so when I started my journey in photography it was a natural fit. I attend Amarillo College and received my certificate in photography in 2014. I lived and breathed photography so I photographed everything, models, wildlife, landscapes and racing. No one is going to out work me, I was brought up to work hard, my mom worked up to three jobs at one time to support her family, that is where I got my hard working ethics!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m a fashion photographer trapped in a motorsports body! I wanted to be a fashion photographer but I have this deep love for racing. So I was photographing models and on the weekends photographing races at our local drag strip and dirt track, some weekend during the day photograph drag racing, that evening at the dirt track, and back Sunday morning for the drag races! I worked my butt off, I have took over 500,000 images, with going through school and learning photography and editing, came better images, more sales, better equipment, even better images and just keeps rolling. The challenging part was first money for top notch equipment, and then the learning from my mistakes. I have made every mistake and more over the years, and learned from those experiences. In 2018 I started losing my vision in my right eye, so I learned how to photograph with my left eye! I;m a one eye photographer! I just do not know how to give up, I have attended Texas School Of Professional Photography every year since 2013, I’m still learning. I want my image to be sharp, colorful and in focus, that is what I pride myself on, and motorsports, cell phones are competition!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Since I’m all about photography, our week long trip would be a trip to the Dallas Zoo, go hang out at Deep Ellum, catch some live music, and a Saturday night at the world famous 1/2 mile dirt track Devil’s Bowl Speedway!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I got a creative eye from my mother, she opened a flower shop and after getting divorced and moved back to Amarillo and managed the flower shop. Thats is when I discovered my creative eye! I loved making displays, learned to make floral arrangements, putting colors together. When I got into photography I didn’t have a mentor, I took every assignment so serious, with the instructors teaching, I soaked it in and practice. In 2015 I met Kenny Nagunst of 806 Sports Radio in Amarillo and I started going to races at Texas Motor Speedway for the Nascar races and Texas Motorplex for the NHRA Fall Nations, we also went to the 2019 Indianapolis 500 and 2021 Daytona 500! Without his support I do not know if I would be where I am at or the portfolio that I have! Another person that supports my photography besides my mother, is Erin Zeigler! She has a photography background, helps me at the races, she can answer drivers questions, sell prints, help with model sessions, and just always has my back and always encouraging me to get better, better branding and marketing!The great thing about photographing motorsports, is you get to know the drivers, and knowing cars I understand about the sport and I have to give them all the credit for my success!

Website: www.drrocksphotography.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drrocksphotography

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrRocksPhoto

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrRocksPhotography

Other: Modeling portfolio –https://www.modelmayhem.com/drrocksphotography

Image Credits
Wikoria Li – Blue dress Audrey Rutherford – Pink Dress