Tom Casalini

Biography

Tom Casalini`s passion for his art is evident in the warmth and depth of the human spirit he manages to capture in every photograph.

Nationally recognized for his unique style, Tom`s award-winning photographs have been displayed in countless galleries and one-man shows, corporate boardrooms and family homes as well as published in magazines, books and commercial advertising projects.

A first generation Hoosier from Logansport, IN, Tom studied fine art and art history at Indiana University and earned a degree in photography from the New York Institute of Photography. After a period of freelance work in Atlanta, Tom returned to his native Indiana as the official state photographer.

In 1973 he opened Casalini Photography in a historic two-story Main Street building in Zionsville, IN where he quickly gained a reputation for outstanding commercial work for clients as diverse as Pinehurst Golf & Country Club to Bank of America while also working on projects like the "Famous Hoosiers" series that featured Indiana natives like John Wooden, Kurt Vonnegut and Red Skelton.

In 2000, Tom published, "Ordinary Heroes", an unforgettable book featuring 48 of the remarkable Americans who have received the Congressional Medal of Honor. Hailed by Walter Cronkite as "extraordinary... as it speaks of the ordinary lives from which heroes emerge and to which most return,", the inspiration and story behind the creation of Ordinary Heroes is now being shared by Tom in a dramatic and emotional presentation he makes to audiences across the country.

In addition to his portrait and commercial work, Tom recently founded Casalini Fine Art Photography, a limited series of contemporary colorful photographic collections inspired by his Italian heritage and his travels throughout the United States. His Fine Art Photography is displayed in major corporations and private collections around the United States.

Today, Tom Casalini continues to create the riveting black & white portraits that are his signature as well as explore new horizons in the art of photography with the heart and soul of an artist in his prime.

Publications

Ordinary Heroes:
A Tribute to Congressional Medal of Honor Recipients: Reflections of Freedom, Faith, Duty and the Heroic Possibilities of the Everyday Human Spirit

This collection of moving black-and-white photographs of recipients of the Medal of Honor shows not the glory of war, but the underlying spirit and humanity of true heroism. Forty-eight portraits are combined with comments, observations, and statements from the recipients of America`s highest military honor. This compilation of words and pictures of men who served in the U.S. Navy, Air Force, Army, and Marine Corps is both humbling and poignant. Their actions and lives vary as much as the conflicts (World War II, Korea, and Vietnam) and include a conscientious objector who never wielded a weapon and a man known as the "Last Eagle," as he was the last World War II pilot to retire. Each recipient`s full official citation is included in the appendix.