Meet BigTom

Tom O'Connor grew up in Penn Hills, just outside Pittsburgh, drawing and doing graffiti. He picked up a camera around age 12, and he's been making art with pencil and paper, and now through the lens, ever since.

His path to photography wasn't a straight line. After graduating from Marietta College and working at PNC Bank (tech support) and AT&T, he and lifelong friend Sergio Pampena (Pittsburgh's "Twin Towers," at 6'6" and 6'4") landed in the beauty world through a Paul Mitchell hair show. Tom moved to California to work at A Robert Cromeans Salon (ARCS), stayed with ARCS through Las Vegas, and worked as a Paul Mitchell platform artist on stages around the world.

That's where he learned to read a room, move fast and make people look their best. For 15+ years he has photographed conferences, incentive trips, pro sports and the people who make them happen, for clients including the NBA, Hologic, USTA, Everpure (Pure Storage), Tequila Patrón, Michelin, Oracle, Delta and Paul Mitchell.

Today BTP is based in Las Vegas, with a local team for big programs, and Tom still travels worldwide for clients. Work has taken him to Nevis, Sardinia, Rome, Paris, Bordeaux, Cannes, Le Mans, Hawaii, the Bahamas, Grand Cayman, Cancun, Cabo and Napa.

"My hands and eyes have made me."

His mom, Elizabeth, taught him the rule he still works by: make friends with people, because you never know when they can help you. He still works every event that way.