Story and photos by Laura Brookhart

“I grew up surrounded by photography and music. I think this explains why I have such a visceral response to both,” photographer Tommy Daspit explains. The son of musicians, Daspit’s father and grandfathers on both sides were professional photographers.

“A powerful piece of music or a camera in my hand can transport me emotionally and physically. I feel truly blessed to have had those influences in my life,” he said. “For the record, I cannot carry a tune and have no sense of rhythm whatsoever. It’s a good thing that I can take a good picture!”

Born in New Orleans, Tommy Daspit made his way through Tampa, Florida, Dallas, Texas, Washington State, Indiana and the Central African Republic before arriving in Helena three years ago.

Daspit was recently selected for one of the five teams in The New Era Artistry Competition, a competition that explored the art of photography (also cosmetics, hair styling and modeling) with a vintage 1920s – 1950s theme.

Read more about Tommy Daspit in the January issue of Shelby Living. Find your copy here.