Meet Thomas Yackley | Photographer, Workshop Leader, Choral Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Thomas Yackley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Thomas, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I have an innate need to create and to share art creation with others. As a retired music educator, I have the time to pursue the things I love. For me that is photography, teaching photography in classes and workshops, conducting and singing with the Alpharetta Community Chorus, and composing music.
When i was a senior in high school, my dad had convinced me to register for college as a pre-law major. When I arrived at Bowling Green State University for pre-registration during the summer, I knocked on the door of the head of the voice faculty and told him I wanted to major in music. It was my good fortune that he happened to be there! I knew I was making a choice between the pursuit of art or money. I believe I made the right choice.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
If there is anything that sets my photography apart, it’s that I come to it as a musician. I understand form, rhythm, texture, simplicity, style, etc. from a musical perspective and that informs my visual art. I’m also content to take time to compose an image and to process it. I enjoy experimentation so I’m not locked in to any one style. Some consider this a negative that I don’t have a specialty, that you can’t look at one of my images and say”I knew that was yours before I saw your name on it.”I don’t mind having a broad range, even if it means I don’t have a consistent brand. To me, it is more important that I enjoy what I do. That my work is pleasing to me. I might feel differently if I needed to sell work to put food on the family table. I also love sharing what I have learned with others through classes and workshops.
With my music, I’m excited to have the opportunity to conduct a concert at Carnegie Hall. I’m thrilled to be able to share that experience with the singers in our community chorus, with my former students who are putting in the preparatory work individually, and with my daughter’s students who will be joining us. Sharing the music with a new generation of young people is a delightful idea to me.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’d take them to Gibbs Gardens, Atlanta Botanical Gardens, and some North Georgia waterfalls for photo shoots. Maybe we’d catch a concert of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra or a play at the Alliance Theater. Before the performance we could catch an exhibit at the High Museum of Art. Where we eat isn’t all that important to me. When my wife and I got married in 1987, we had our honeymoon in Atlanta so I guess we did this in real life. We saw Paul Simon’s Graceland Tour, Dreamgirls, and the Carter Center. We also went to one of the worst movies either of us has ever seen but we honestly had a great time in the city we both call home.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My wife, Robin, is my partner in all things. She is Co-Artistic Director of the Alpharetta Community Chorus with me, song leader of the Park Place Social Singers with me, and my greatest advocate and critic of my photography. My children, Aaron, Nicole, and Claire are great supporters and influencers as well, each active in the arts in their own ways. My partner at Nature Photo Workshops, Ben Ayling is a wonderful photographer and musician, My friends and colleagues, Frank Green and Jim Dunaway were instrumental in getting me hooked on nature photography. My many friends and mentors in the American Choral Directors Association and Georgia Nature Photographers Association have influenced me in developing skills in my main artistic endeavors. My parents supported my artistic passions, coming to many concerts and musicals during my youth. My dad slept through all of them, but he was there! I should add that Robert Shaw, the renowned choral genius and long-time conductor of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, influenced me to always work tirelessly toward excellence, and to recognize that technique must come first in the pursuit of artistry

Website: https://www.thomasyackley.com, https://www.naturephotoworkshops.com, https://alpharettacommunitychorus.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thomasyackley/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thomasyackleyphotography

Image Credits
my portrait – Claire Yackley photo