Thomas Kelly

Thomas Kelly is an American photo‑activist and documentary photographer whose work over four decades has illuminated the lives of marginalized communities and endangered cultures worldwide. After serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Nepal in 1978, Kelly made Kathmandu his home for over thirty years, using his camera to build empathy and resilience—rather than exploit trauma—through compassionate, long‑term storytelling.

Funded by organizations such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, UNICEF, Save the Children (USA), DFID (UK), and the Aga Khan Foundation, Kelly has documented issues from child trafficking and safer motherhood to sex‑worker rights and conflict resolution across South Asia. His editorial assignments have appeared in The New York Times, Time, Newsweek, National Geographic, and The Observer (UK), while his corporate work for The Body Shop International (1990–91) merged advocacy with branding.

A former staff photographer for The Body Shop and a National Geographic Adventure guide, Kelly has also directed Wild‑Earth Journeys, an eco‑travel documentary series. Through his relentless commitment to building trust and reciprocity, his images stand as powerful testaments to photography’s ability to foster understanding and social change.