Stockland Martel

Photographers have to be adaptable, but good photographers know how to take even ordinary situations and make them look terrific. For lifestyle and fashion photographer Tom Rafalovich, this means making you feel like you’re right in the action, whether it’s a muddy bike race, a sprawling family dinner, or a day at the beach.

When he’s not on a shoot, Rafalovich—who is as much a sportsman as he is a photographer—is likely to be mountain biking in Moab, Whistler, or even on a favorite trail a 10-minute ride from his home in Santa Monica. “I’m an equal opportunity mountain biker,” he says. He’s just as open-minded about fly-fishing, which he took up as a teenager. The sport tends to inspire a kind of pretentiousness, as if it were a club for select members only, but that’s not Rafalovich’s style. He has his prized fishing spots, but he can also more than make do with whatever’s available.

“Wyoming is one of my favorites because it’s still on of the few places you can go and be on your own, away from the crowds. I’ll hike three miles into a canyon, cross the rapids, and hike some more just to get to a place that I can fish and not see a wet boot print from another fisherman all day,” he says. “I’m not a fishing snob, though. When I feel the urge, I’ll fish in the local mountains outside L.A., leapfrogging campers, garbage, and other fisherman—and have a blast. Once you step into the river, it’s just you and the trout.”

Here’s a look at Tom’s work:

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