Hello!

My name is Alexandra (Alex) Thomas. I’m a 21-year-old autistic photographer & videographer based out of Austin, TX.

I’ve had a camera in my hands since I was 18 months-old when my great-grandmother gave me a disposable film camera.  I toddled all over her house that day, taking photos of everything I saw, and in that moment I knew this is what I'm meant to do.  I officially started my photography business at 14 years old and have been taking photos and videos every day since, all around the world.  

Around that same time, my career path was set to become a veterinarian as I was beginning studies and volunteering in the animal hospital at the local shelter. That all changed when I attended my first MISSIO concert and fell in love with the music industry.  After seeing MISSIO and Zeale live at House of Blues Dallas in 2017, I started research to learn all I could about the music industry. Eventually, I would have the honor of working with and learning a lot through both MISSIO and Zeale along the way. 

That same year, my photos of the alternative band I Don't Know How But They Found Me were published in Alternative Press magazine, I made my first small tour run, skipped my high-school graduation to work as a photographer at Hangout Music Festival, worked for a local music venue as the house photographer, and volunteered for multiple music publications as a photographer and  writer.   I continued to photograph concerts all over the US and filmed my first music video alongside the Dallas music scene's photo and video legend, Will Von Bolton.  

By 18, I met my tour family in Prophets and Outlaws (PAO). I spent three years on the road with them doing photography, videography, digital marketing management, tour management, merch design, website design, publicity, and more.  I had the incredible honor of directing, shooting and editing the video and creating the marketing for their 2021 single with Pat Green, “Little Bit of Love”, to raise over $10,000 for The North Texas Food Bank, providing over 30,000 meals to hungry children, seniors and families across North Texas during the horrible snowstorm that left many without food or shelter.  The music video was shared on Fox 4 News in Dallas with an interview of Pat Green and PAO lead singer Matt Boggs talking about the song, encouraging more donations and more kindness.  

Between 2019-2022, whenever I wasn’t on the road with PAO, I was working with artists like MISSIO, Blackillac, Jena Rose, Young Optimist, and many other bands through photo and video along with continuing to photograph, review and interview the touring bands coming through Texas and surrounding states for the publications I was working for.  In 2019, I had the honor of capturing photo and video for Blackillac at Austin City Limits Music Festival, where the day ended on stage with Gary Clark Jr. (the headliner that year) and filmed the sea of tens of thousands of people crowded together singing “Come Together” with Blackillac and Gary Clark Jr.   

At 18, I also started hosting a yearly benefit concert raising money for The Trevor Project, a non-profit suicide hotline for LGBT+ youth across America. This involved coordinating The Trevor Project, all musicians, venues, and crew. Every penny made from ticket sales went right to The Trevor Project to help those in need.  Having struggled severely with depression myself, I always want to do what I can to help those who are at their worst moments and encourage them to keep fighting their demons because it does eventually get so much better.

In 2021, I started my own music publication, Tour Life Mag, to help get more women, POC, and LGBT+ creatives in the music industry, assisting them any way I can with the knowledge and experience I’ve gained over the last five years of nonstop work in many different roles of the music industry.  

In 2022 I completed NYU’s online music industry essentials courses to learn more about band social media management, marketing music, writing music, artist management, mixing, mastering and producing music, tour management and more along with doing more research on different fields in the music industry.   I have enjoyed putting these skills, old and new, to work.  

Since creating AETPhotos seven years ago, I've worked with 100s of photo and video clients in all different fields and 10+ social media management and website design clients from musicians/bands, music venues, publications, party planners, clothing brands, restaurants and companies.

I'm always looking for new adventures, so don’t hesitate to reach out to me at aetphotographer@gmail.com to work together.