PropertyOfZack is stoked to welcome in Tom Falcone as our newest Contributor. Tom is a well-known touring photographer that has worked with bands like All Time Low, Mayday Parade, and We Are The In Crowd. Considering that Tom is still a full-time college student, we thought it’d be a great opportunity to bring on a Contributor that divides up his time between learning and touring. Tom’s first blog is a little introduction on himself and showcases the difficulties between being on the road for so long at a time while having other priorities. Read up and enjoy, there will be more to come!
Over the course of 4 years of my life, I’ve always wanted to figure “it” out before anyone did. But let’s be honest, high school was full of regrets and mistakes that only one can learn from. Before I spill my guts on paper, let me introduce myself of who I really am…My name is Tom Falcone, 20 year old, son, brother, student, hopeless romantic…oh and let’s not forget; touring/freelance photographer.
Being only 20 and have worked with some major (label) bands is a huge accomplishment, I admit. There are photographers that would do a lot to be in my shoes. Shooting / working for bands such as All Time Low, Mayday Parade, We The Kings, We Are The In Crowd and more before even being legal to drink. There comes a lot of package with the career path that I have chosen, and want. Currently, I attend New England School of Photography (a second year student), and still live at home with my parents when not at school and or traveling. Speaking for most bands and most people who work within the music industry, we are all normal people. This might be a shocker to a lot of fans out there, thinking everyone who has ever toured lives the high life, doing what we want, when we want. Truthfully, it’s different but we all breathe the same air.
The fact of living the ‘high life’, bus/van, traveling state to state, getting access to places in venues no fans have ever seen, behind the scenes of people in the industry, still hits hard for me. It’s luxury at a minimum. What hits me, you ask; leaving loved ones at home. Being on the road from 17-19 (years old), every summer and even some ‘breaks’, was the biggest reality checks of all time. If it was the entire summer, or a month, or a few weeks, life at home stopped. Friends didn’t know where I was, what I was doing, when I was coming home, or better yet, even saying ‘goodbye’ to them before they went back to college. Traveling became a black hole for me, like I lost a part of my home life when I wasn’t there. Friends change; family changes, and girlfriends became non-existent. Staying in touch is the hardest thing to do no matter the circumstance. If it is a phone call, e-mailing, and an instant message, it’s rough.
