Tom Verdoot's Outdoor Explorations

Welcome to Hero of the Week, an ongoing series sharing stories from some of the best photographers in the Pexels community.

A graphic designer by day, Belgian photographer Tom Verdoot spends his free time exploring the outdoors in search of the perfect shot.

Tom is based in Landen, Belgium, but his scenic photography depicts beautiful natural vistas in Germany, France, and beyond.

We talked to Tom to learn why landscape photography is so important to him and which photographers inspire his work.

Pexels: How long have you been taking photos, and how did you get started?

Tom: I started taking photos about three years ago. It was something my girlfriend at the time was doing and I joined her with a camera I had when I started in school.

What camera gear do you use?

Right now I’m using a Sony a6300. I currently have two lenses for it, the 50mm f1.8 and the 18-135mm. I also own a DJI Mavic Air.

What's your favorite type of photo to shoot, and why?

I love shooting landscape photography. It relaxes me and there is so much you can convey with a good landscape photo.

What inspires your photography?

I like to try to tell a story with my photos.

It can be the journey that I had to get that particular photo, or it can be about something or somebody in the frame who tells a story.

Tell us about a favorite photo on your Pexels profile.

I think this is my favorite photo of them all. This photo was taken on Seceda in the Italian Dolomites on my first ever solo trip.

I overcame obstacles and broke down so many personal barriers that day. You could say it changed me.

Who are some other photographers or artists who inspire your work?

The people that inspire me? There are so many people I look up to—Christian Maté Grab is one of those people. I like his use of color.

Peter McKinnon has inspired and taught me a lot through his YouTube videos.

I also like the way Jesse Driftwood is able to tell stories through short clips on his Insta stories. I recently started to learn how to make videos, and he is definitely a huge inspiration in that regard.