By Ewa Chwojko-Srawley
The Queen of England was standing in front of Tom Sandler, ready to be photographed, when every photographer’s worst nightmare struck: his equipment failed. Sensing his panic, the Queen stepped forward to gently reassure him. It was an unexpectedly human moment, and just one of the many stories Tom has collected over a lifetime of pointing his lens at some of the world’s most famous faces.
Ten years ago, Tom moved from Toronto to Georgina with his wife, Aline. For him, it felt like coming home: his parents had a summer house here back in the carefree days of his childhood.
It was always full of music. His mother, Ruth Lowe, was a brilliant, Grammy Award-winning songwriter who turned personal tragedy into something that touched millions: after losing her husband shortly after their wedding, she wrote “I’ll Never Smile Again,” a deeply emotional song that became a huge hit and helped propel a young Frank Sinatra to stardom.
“My mom turned me to music,” Tom says. “Music touches people deeply, on a different level than photography. My dream is to write THAT special song. I’m circling around it — I think I’m about to land.”
It was music that led Tom to photography. “I never liked photography; I loved music!” he says. After taking a job at a production company that created audiovisual shows, Tom was put in charge of mixing the music. Then he was asked to accompany a group of photographers to a show on Toronto’s Waterfront. Tom was given a camera, and he was hooked.
In 1979 he became a manager for the photography department responsible for Toronto’s Waterfront. He ran it until 1989.
He documented every aspect of the rapidly changing area, both from the ground and, sometimes, from the air. Helicopter assignments added a little excitement to the work! His first photograph for the job was a demolition scene and was published in the Toronto Star.
Tom’s lens didn’t discriminate. One day he was photographing a building coming down in a cloud of rubble, next day he was capturing dancers mid-leap at a local theatre. The waterfront was also a place where politicians, authors and other well-known figures regularly appeared, giving Tom a front-row view of Toronto’s cultural and political life.
Eventually, Tom went freelance. Together with his wife he formed a team. He shot for fashion and celebrity magazines, including the Hollywood Reporter, covered film festivals such as TIFF, and served as an official photographer for the Royals during their visits to Canada.
Here is a very (very!) abbreviated list of people who’ve found themselves eye-to-eye with Tom’s camera:
Queen Elizabeth II, then-Prince Charles, Prince Edward, Nelson Mandela, Bill Clinton, Sophia Loren, Elton John, Gwyneth Paltrow, Sean Penn, Whoopi Goldberg, Cher. And Canadians: Sonja Bata, the Westons, Hazel McCallion, Margaret Atwood, and many, many more.
One of Tom’s most memorable assignments, however, had nothing to do with celebrities. He photographed physically challenged children at Easter Seals summer camps. Tom remembers, “One of them, Paul, kept karate-chopping me, so I took him to the rocks, where he bravely climbed up for the shot.” To Tom, the image captured something important: ability, not disability. “That image stays with you forever,” he says.
Tom believes stories like Paul’s can inspire others. That is why he hopes to create a fundraising album for Easter Seals, celebrating these children as the superheroes they are.
Tom is always on a mission, and many of his causes are close to home. He was involved in an endeavour to rebuild the Red Barn Theatre and in the campaign to save the North Gwillimbury Forest. Naturally, he put his photography skills and connections to work, creating T-shirts and posters featuring his images and messages, and then persuading celebrities to pose with them.
Tom documents the world around him. Celebrities may be part of that world, but so are old tractors glowing in the sunset on a Georgina farm or blue herons flying over the lake.
His most recent assignment takes him back to the Toronto International Film Festival, which he has covered for more than 20 years. This time, however, he won’t have to elbow his way through a crowd of photographers to get the best shot. Instead, about 16 stars will pose with autographed bottles of champagne, which will later be auctioned to raise money.
Then it’s back to Georgina, where Tom turns his lens toward a different kind of celebrity. He calls them ‘nature celebrities’- herons, owls, eagles…
“Moving to Georgina gave me a nice balance,” he says. “I still have assignments in the city, but I prefer the different pace here: swimming in the lake at 6 in the morning, chatting with people, playing guitar, writing songs and pointing my lens at sunsets, eagles, owls, pow wows, marathons and other great local events.
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