Isola Bella photographed by Hamptons Photographer Tom Fitzgerald

photo courtesy of T.H.E. Fitzgerald Photography

Emma Fitzgerald of Southampton NY wearing the isola bella seahorse print dress.
available at the isola bella shop

I was ecstatic when New York photographer Tom Fitzgerald chose a dress by isola bella for his daughter's recent beach portraits shot in the Hamptons. I wanted to know more about his work and the man behind the lens.

How does living in the Hamptons inspire your photography?

The Hamptons, in my opinion, are made up of some of the most beautiful places in the world. I’ve been to Europe, The Middle East and all over the United States, and I when I walk around their villages, or spend time at the beach, I always reflect on how lucky I am to live here with my family. In the summer, every weekend feels like a vacation. There’s an aesthetic characteristic to The Hamptons that provides a wealth of creative motivation. One day I can be shooting a New York City couple’s wedding on the beach, and the next, the texture and structure of a Windmill on a farm.

The original super model Christie Brinkley doing some pro-bono modeling at

The 51st Annual Southampton Summer Party.

photo courtesy of T.H.E. Fitzgerald Photography

What is your favorite Hamptons Summer hot spot and why?


From a photographic perspective, without a doubt, the best place to shoot is Southampton Village in the summer weekend early evenings. The village is full of a palpable energy and has an air of surreal to it. There are restaurants, pubs, clothing stores, art and photography galleries, parks, many of the places putting on various upscale summer events, all within 1 square mile or so. It’s more than likely you will bump into celebrities and when you do, they’re not in L.A. or NYC mode, they are in a “hang out in The Hamptons” mindset, or so it seems, and therefore if you ask will stop and allow you to photograph them as you would a paying portraiture client. The photography is not a paparazzi style, it’s a personal, polite, stress free portraiture style. This is just one benefit to shooting events down in The Village. Southampton Village is also location to many of the larger events I shoot during the summer, like the Parish Art Museum Gala and the Southampton Hospital Annual Summer Party and that provides an enormous amount of photographic opportunities. The Hampton Classic, in Bridgehampton is also another place where I can easily walk away with fifty or more photos that are portfolio quality.

Aside from the people, The Village has also maintained its classic, Old World quality through strict zoning and building regulations. Many of the buildings along Jobs Lane and Main Street have been there before the turn of the century. So I will often shoot the small details of The Village: the street signs, store fronts, lamp posts, gothic fence lines, stonework and other artifacts that have been preserved over the decades. It adds a nice touch when shooting to bring the Old World together with modern world that now lives here.


On a day where you don't have to shoot a wedding, celebrity event, or model's portfolio where would you go with your camera and what would you photograph?

Photo of his daughter Emma soaking in the sun at a favorite Hampton beach.

photo courtesy of T.H.E. Fitzgerald Photography

I will usually capitalize on that time and spend it with my family. The camera is almost always within reach, and I find shooting my wife and daughters enjoying wherever we are to be one of the most rewarding parts of my photography. If we are somewhere that has great scenery, and there usually is out here, I will also shoot that during the course of a day; whether it’s a beach and the coastline, a park or just someone’s back yard during a barbeque, The Hamptons brings out the photographer in me and I want to capture as much of it as I can. During the summer, when we’re outdoors mostly, and even in the colder months, I’m documenting our life as Hamptons dwellers and I’m currently working on the frameworks for various photo books with different themes using combinations of all of these experiences.The Hamptons gives my photos the feel of a never ending movie, at least when I go back and look at them myself. It’s a little hard to articulate the feelings they evoke, but I feel as though I’m part of a larger energy flow that moves through this 50 mile stretch of coastline.

Surfer passes by stones and wooden poles

uncovered by the constant erosion of Dune Rd., in The Hamptons.

photo courtesy of T.H.E. Fitzgerald Photography

To contact and see more of Tom Fitzgerald's fabulous work visit the links below.

T.H.E. Fitzgerald Photography
Southampton, NY
(631) 603-2029
www.thefitzgeraldphotography.com
www.myhamptonsweddingphotographer.com
www.photographernyc.com
info@thefitzgeraldphotography.com (All inquiries)