大象传媒

This edition of What Do Artists Do All Day? profiles Tom Wood, one of the most significant photographers of his generation, whose work has documented British working class life for over forty years.

West of Ireland
Last summer, Tom visited County Mayo in the West of Ireland, where he was born, and this film follows him as he photographs the landscape and people for a new book and an exhibition at the in North Wales.

Exhibitions
Tom has taken photographs almost every day since the 1970s, mainly around the streets, workplaces and nightspots of Merseyside. In his first book, Looking For Love he documented the lives of the regulars at Chelsea Reach nightclub, while All Zones Off Peak featured pictures taken over eighteen years riding the buses of Liverpool.

In recent years, his profile has been boosted by a series of exhibitions (including a major retrospective last year at the in Bradford) and acclaimed books, such as Photieman, named after the nickname given to him by kids he photographed on the streets of Liverpool.

Intimate
In this film, we spend a few days with Tom, capturing an intimate sense of how he interacts with people, always camera in hand, and taking photographs at a range of locations from a farmers鈥� auction to the local pub.

"I鈥檓 kind of stealing the pictures but I鈥檓 also giving this stuff.."
The film offers a rare opportunity to observe Tom at work. He has often shied away from publicity but here he talks warmly and honestly about his work and motivation:聽 鈥淧eople could tell where you鈥檙e coming from.... I did it for free鈥�I鈥檓 kind of stealing the pictures but I鈥檓 also giving this stuff back because it will all be there one day.鈥�

Recognition
Featuring dozens of his photographs from a long working life, Tom also reflects not only on his art but also the rewards of life as a photographer: 鈥淥ver the years, I鈥檝e never made any money..鈥�.many years I鈥檇 make a loss鈥�but when a gallery started representing me and selling my work I couldn鈥檛 believe it and here I am now with lots of recognition 鈥�.so it鈥檚 really good鈥︹��