He has volunteered his photography work for nonprofit and environmental organizations. White has been named "one of the most influential people in photography" by American Photo magazine, and was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame in 2019.[1][2]
Early life and career
White was brought up in Fort Lee, New Jersey, as the youngest of three children. His father was a financial controller for the Coast Guard, and his mother was a housewife.[3]
White received a diploma from Rhode Island School of Design in 1979.[4] He moved to New York City, where he began a career in photography by assisting a fashion and music photographer. He initially focused on shooting portraits for young musicians, aspiring models[3] and actors, and made forty trips to South America over the course of four years on travel assignments. Basing his experience of his South American work, he won an assignment at Rolling Stone to do a shoot for Yoko Ono.[5]
White directed the music video "Love Gets Me Every Time" (1997) as he photographed Shania Twain for the Come On Over album art.[11]
He has also directed television commercials and major ad campaigns such as Got Milk?[12] Queen Latifah's Queen perfume,[13] and Joyful Heart's No More PSA campaign for males who have experienced childhood sexual abuse.[14]
White, with his friend Walt Wilson purchased the entire town of Amboy, California in the year 2000, and used it for photoshoots and to host movie companies. White saw value in maintaining the property in a weathered, worn condition as a filming location. They sold gasoline, food, and Route 66 souvenirs at Roy's Motel and Café.[15]
However they relinquished control and returned ownership of the property when it went into foreclosure for repossession in 2005.[16]
White relocated his studio from Manhattan, New York[3] to Los Angeles in 2013. He oversaw the opening of the Morrison Hotel Gallery's West Hollywood outpost located within the Sunset Marquis Hotel, and later became a part owner.[17] The gallery represents 90 photographers and features fine art photography of rock legends.[3][18]
White photographed bulldog and internet celebrity Izzy the Frenchie in 2019 at the pet's canine wedding, which Entertainment Tonight called as "the wedding of 2019".[19]
White is an avid car collector and also photographs automobiles.[8]
Charity and pro bono work
White has done pro bono work for nonprofit and environmental organizations. For Recycle Across America, that provides recycle bins, he conducted a billboard shoot for their PSA national campaign.[20][21]
As part of volunteering for Riverkeeper, non-profit environmental organization for the protection of the Hudson River and its tributaries, he photographed pollution sites from a helicopter piloted by Harrison Ford.[22][23]
At the 2015 amfAR gala at Cannes, White's photograph of the AIDS research foundation, amFAR's founder Elizabeth Taylorgiving the finger to paparazzi was bid by Lady Gaga and Aileen Getty each for $200,000,[24][25] and was auctioned for $80,000.[26]
The Newark Museum opened its gallery in the summer of 2003 with a retrospective installation of White's work.[30]
The same year, food rescue organization City Harvest honored him with the Heart of the City Award, as the director of their ad on feeding the hungry.[31]
He was awarded the Outstanding Achievement in Photography at the third annual Hollywood Beauty Awards in 2017.[33] In turn, the Timothy White Award for Photography which is a category, as the nominee categories get named after the current honorees, was won by Jennifer Graylock.[34][35]