Tom Arma

Tom Arma is a New York–based photographer and picture book author who specializes in baby photography. He was reported by The New York Times as “The most published baby photographer in the world"and by the Wall Street Journal as the "Armani of the kiddy costume world."

Arma began his photographic career as a teenager at the New York Daily News, as their youngest staff photographer. At the Daily News, he covered many diverse assignments including political conventions, the Woodstock Music Festival, Beatles invasion, President Richard Nixon's rise and fall, as well as every facet of big city life.

Several years in to his career, Arma was reassigned to the magazine part of the paper where photographed celebrities in full color. Some of these stars included Clint Eastwood, Paul Newman, Jack Nicholson, and Michael Caine. Eventually Arma left journalism to open his own studio where he concentrated on magazine and advertising work. He shot successful campaigns for Fortune 500 companies, as well as covers for Time Magazine, People Magazine, Money, French Photo, and Ladies Home Journal. In 1972 he began his work with babies. In the 1980s, his work with costumed children showed on the covers of magazines, including consecutive Christmas covers for Ladies Home Journal. Arma was the first person to publish a book solely of babies in costume; this started a trend and many would trail in his lead.To express his ecological concerns, Arma created his Please Save the Animals series of posters and greeting cards.This series of babies dressed in animal outfits designed by him was a huge success worldwide. Since then he has begun work on picture books and become successful with that as well. Arma has now authored 47 original books worldwide. Harry N. Abrams, an American publisher of high quality art and illustrated books, released Arma’s picture books to rave reviews. According to tomarma.com, “Publishers Weekly says of “We’re Going on Safari” “The pictures are delicious with the 3 dimensional feel and color saturation of old View-master vignettes. Toddler fan audiences, typically enthralled with photos of their peers, may just go ape for them.”’