My name is Tom Wayne Bertolotti and I was born with the west in me. My mother's family is from Oregon and settled there in the nineteenth century, journeying the long and adventurous Oregon trail. My dad was born in Italy, and grew up feeding on the Western movies that have shaped the very way we see the west.
The middle name my parents gave to me is a tribute to an actor who came to embody the genre like no one else.
When I moved to California, I heeded the call to continue my family's fascination with the great American West through my cameras and my lenses. The West is still there, full of enchantment and majesty.
I am but a witness in front of these humbling visions, and through my editing I hope to let the viewer see now what my heart saw then.
To me the west is about shapes, colors, and how they play with each other. That is why I shoot all of my imagery with Fujifilm X Series Cameras. My Fujifilm cameras are the best tools for storytelling.
I am not interested in extreme sharpness. My right eye is slightly astigmatic and maybe that faint glow I see around every object inspired my photography. After all, the West is the land where borders are faint, blurred, and shift as fast and subtly as the sand in the desert.
I am interested in rendering an impression you can vibe with, an image that makes you feel there. Sense the blazing sun upon your skin, smell the flowers blossoming at dusk, and hear the wind howling down the canyon. I want you to look at my photographs and enter the west.