Samuel Thomas comes from a little rural town near Dallas, TX, but has put his love of Tex-Mex and Whataburger on the back burner while he pursues a degree in Computer Information Technology at Brigham Young University – Idaho (Rexburg).
“I love the unique landscapes that can be found here in Idaho. You just don’t see many mountains in northeast Texas.”

Samuel may seem like an ordinary person at first glance, but when you get to know him, you find that his witty sense of humor and positive attitude help him to stand out from a crowd.

“I believe that life is too short to be gloomy and hum-drum all the time. It’s important to be able to see something extraordinary in our often times very ordinary lives.”

This attitude comes from the two years that he spent as a Missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the northwestern part of Argentina.

“I found people there that literally had a lean-to made from sticks and plastic bags and the shirts on their backs. And yet, they were some of the happiest people that I had met in my life. They saw past their lack of material goods and noticed the incredible world around them. I want to always be able to see that wonder!”

Samuel lives by the motto, “see something different,” and always tries to see things from either a different angle or to see past what one might only perceive at face value.
His love for photography came when he got his first camera phone while in high school.

“I would take different pictures to put as my background, and then show them off to my friends. They weren’t ever really good, but to me, those pictures are priceless. I still have those photos on my computer today.”

When he is not studying or doing photography, he enjoys watching movies with his wife and newborn son, listening to music, and playing the occasional game of Overwatch.

You can follow Samuel on Instagram @samuel_thomas_photography, or at his website samuelthomasphotography.wordpress.com