Visuals - Tom Libertiny

Tom Libertiny is a published author and photographer, an award-winning music composer and producer, and a movie director. His images span the fields of commercial, editorial, product, architectural, nature, and minimalism. And he works primarily in short-form and mid-form movies, music videos, and commercials.

How I Learned to See

My father was an avid photographer who used his camera both for pleasure and for microscopic work in materials science engineering. He generously lent me his equipment and taught me how to use everything from his 35mm camera to his 8mm movie camera and all of his lighting gear.

My mother was an accomplished painter and illustrator. She taught me how to draw and paint — skills that proved invaluable for storyboarding ideas and crafting images with intention.

Together, they gave me the two most important tools a visual storyteller can have: the technical ability to capture light and the artistic ability to compose it.

Photography and Movies as Storytelling

For me, photography and movies have never been separate from the other languages I work in. Whether I’m composing music, writing a story, or directing a film, I am always searching for the same thing: the moment when an idea becomes something you can feel.

I approach every image the same way I approach a song or a scene — by first understanding the story I want to tell, then shaping light, form, and emotion to serve it.