Thomas Blagden

A professional nature photographer for over 40 years, Thomas Blagden has concentrated his work primarily on Maine, South Carolina, and Costa Rica.

Blagden's photographs have appeared in most national conservation calendars, as well as in numerous exhibits and magazines, including the covers of Smithsonian, Audubon, Outdoor Photographer, Nature Conservancy, and Sierra. His photographs and writing are devoted to land protection and conservation issues, resulting in seven books on South Carolina.

Blagden is also a recipient of the National Outdoor Book Award for his 2003 exhibit-format volume on Acadia National Park. He has recently followed this with a new release, Acadia National Park: A Centennial Celebration by Rizzoli Publishers, March 2016.

Blagden's photography hangs in the TSA security checkpoint. The photographs aren't your typical prints, however. They are printed on metal in a process called dye sublimation – an image is applied to specially coated ceramics, metals and polyester cloth, using sublimation ink, heat and pressure. Each of the nine images hanging in the security checkpoint is actually made up of three metal panels. A shiny topcoat gives the photography an added visual punch and brightens the colors in each photograph.

Blagden has served on the boards of The Nature Conservancy of SC and the Lowcountry Land Trust and leads photography trips rafting down the Grand Canyon. He is a Fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers and the North American Nature Photography Association. He lives in Charleston and Lakeville, Conn., with his wife, Lynn. They have a daughter, Sarah, in New York City.