Who is Tom?

About Tom Heijs

I first picked up a camera when I was 12. Both my father and his father owned cameras and always tried to capture the candid family moments. At the time, when I picked up Dad’s camera, I just wanted to go out for a walk and capture the local mist; something that I thought looked cool. Now, decades later, I think back at this moment and realise how accurately this still describes me. Photography is a great way to escape the daily hustle and bustle, and to capture the beauty and emotion surrounding us.

Exploring, I love it. But you might not have guessed it of me as a kid. As many Dutch immigrants to New Zealand, my parents LOVE the outdoors. So, as kids, Mum and Dad would take my two older sisters and I into the Waitakere Ranges, a local national park in Auckland consisting of lush sub-tropical rainforest and wild black sand beaches. My sisters and I did our best to avoid these trips, and we even started joking about hating the colour green because of the amount of time we spent in these forests!  Thankfully, albeit subconsciously, these trips etched an appreciation of natural beauty and photography into my kid brain. And here we are now!

Life Outside of Photography

I live in Brisbane, Australia with my amazing wife, Jerica. Most of our free time is spent at the local beaches playing volleyball with friends. This sport used to be a serious passion of mine, and I still compete in most local Queensland and some Australian tour competitions. When we’re not at the beach you might find us on a local hike or visiting family around Australia and New Zealand!
I work full-time as a Physiotherapist, travelling around Brisbane as a community therapist within a large multidisciplinary team. It is immensely fulfilling to me to be working with patients with chronic disabilities to improve their general health and wellbeing and improve their ability to partake in the community. I feel very grateful to be able to juggle this work with my creative passion as a Photographer.