Lens on the law


Lens on the law

Bradley Thomas

Bradley Thomas, L’16

Bradley Thomas brings a scientist’s reason and an artist’s creativity to the study of law. The former research scientist holds an undergraduate degree in molecular biology, but he’s as comfortable behind a camera lens as he is behind a microscope. “In law school, it’s an analytical creativity,” said Thomas, L’16. “The outcome I desire is x. Here are the rules. How do I get there? It’s a problem-solving logic exercise. The scientific part of me just loves that. “But art is free-form expression that I don’t get from law school or from law. That’s not a problem. I just need something else in my life that allows that.”

Child in brightly colored clothing and headwear viewed from above with individuals gathered around in a greyscale background
Scroll down to browse photos by Thomas

Photography has fulfilled that need for Thomas since he was a child. At the age of 6, he blew through several rolls of film on a drive to Colorado for a family ski trip, and then continued taking pictures with no film. “It was just kind of fun to look through and see what I could spot through the viewfinder,” the Mission Hills native said. “A lot of times it’s much less interesting than you think it’s going to be, or the things you don’t instantly find interesting turn out to be fascinating from the right angle.” Thomas began approaching photography more seriously at Shawnee Mission East High School, where he took classes and learned his way around the darkroom. He mastered the manual settings on his Nikon FM2 and even built a darkroom in his mom’s basement. But shooting photos took a backseat to studying when Thomas enrolled at the University of Colorado Boulder in 2002. Jobs at AG Bayer Crop Science Research and Children’s Mercy Hospital followed. Although Thomas had dabbled with his dad’s digital cameras on holiday breaks during college, it wasn’t until his scientific work led him to Romania for a medical mission trip in 2007 that he really gained confidence in his images. “Afterward, I had about 1,000 pictures,” he said. “As I looked through them, I thought some were pretty good.” He assembled a slideshow of his photos that the trip’s organizer showed at a gathering. “They asked me back the following year as the official photographer.” A third trip – this time to Mali – followed in 2010. Thomas served as the acting pharmacist on that mission, but he took a camera, too. “It really put things into perspective to be in one of the poorest countries in the world,” he said. “There were kids living on piles of trash. Open cesspools were their homes. It was a life-changing, emotional experience.” Back stateside and looking for a new direction, Thomas earned his MBA at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, where he took a business law course that piqued his interest. Next stop? Green Hall. In his three years at KU Law, Thomas took every class the school offered related to intellectual property. He passed the Patent Bar the summer after his 1L year, will sit for the Missouri bar exam in July and then join the patent practice at Shook, Hardy & Bacon in Kansas City, Missouri – helping inventors license their best ideas. And hopefully getting back to some creative work of his own. “Law school has limited the amount of time I can dedicate to photography,” Thomas said. “But hopefully this education will afford me a lifestyle that will allow me to go on trips and see the world and take photos.”

Medical Missions

Image of a child with a bright yellow/orange garment or scarf, smiling at the camera. The background appears to be in black and white while the child's clothing is in color.A young child standing outdoors in a patterned blue outfit. The child has lighter-colored hair and appears to be in an arid or rural setting.A person sitting alone on what appears to be a bench in a dimly lit room with tiled walls, creating a shadow effect.A person in colorful blue traditional dress walking barefoot on a road, carrying a child on their back. The background is in black and white while the person's clothing is in color.An operating room or medical facility with a surgical bed, medical equipment, and green surgical drapes.Medical personnel in surgical attire, with one wearing a red surgical cap, performing what appears to be a medical procedure.Close-up of hands in blue surgical gloves handling what appears to be medical material or tissue with blue lighting.Hands working on what seems to be a surgical procedure under focused light.Portrait of a medical professional wearing a blue surgical cap and green scrubs, possibly a surgeon or doctor.Medical professionals performing surgery with surgical lights illuminating the procedure.
Several people, possibly children, playing or gathering outside what appears to be a building with reddish/pink walls under a blue sky.A yellow multi-story building or structure that appears to be in an urban setting.Two people sitting in what looks like a dimly lit interior space with a beam of light creating shadows.A small child sitting in what appears to be an outdoor swing or similar equipment in a black and white image.A person in yellow clothing carrying something on their head walking near a simple structure in a rural setting. The image is in black and white except for the person's clothing.Close-up of what appears to be a surgical procedure, showing hands in surgical attire.A young child in light blue clothing standing against a wall or near a doorway.A medical professional wearing surgical glasses, a face mask, and a patterned surgical cap under blue medical lighting.What appears to be medical equipment or supplies in dim lighting, possibly in a clinical setting.Medical equipment or supplies under blue lighting in what appears to be a clinical environment.
An outdoor scene showing a tree with buildings or structures in an earthen-colored environment, possibly a rural village.People in what appears to be a medical or care setting, where someone in green clothing seems to be attending to others.Several people in what looks like a medical or healthcare setting with tiled walls, possibly showing healthcare workers attending to patients.The Eiffel Tower in Paris viewed from a distance, with gardens or pathways in the foreground during sunset or sunrise.The interior of what appears to be a cathedral or church with a prominent stained glass rose window illuminated in blue against a dark background.A young child wearing novelty sunglasses, possibly at a party or special event.A group of young children sitting together, possibly siblings, with colorful clothing against a blue background.A motorcycle or similar vehicle photographed from the front, showing the headlight and handlebars.A close-up of a baby wearing a light-colored bonnet or cap, in black and white.

Outdoors

A black butterfly with white spots perched on a bright orange flower, likely a zinnia or similar garden flower.An underwater scene with what appears to be fish or marine life in a blue-tinted environment.A surfer riding a large wave with white spray.A dragonfly perched on a thin green stem or blade of grass, showing its translucent wings.Close-up of what appears to be part of a butterfly or insect on a colorful flower, showing mostly yellows and purples.A black butterfly with white markings perched on a bright orange flower against a green background.Several rowboats or small boats in various colors including blue and red, lined up on what appears to be a dock or shoreline.A distant view of a surfer or person on a wave in the ocean.A closer view of a surfer riding a large wave, with white spray surrounding them.
A close-up of green blades of grass or plant stems with a slender insect, possibly a stick insect or mantis camouflaged among them.A person paragliding with an orange and dark-colored parachute against a blue sky over what appears to be a shoreline.A glowing jellyfish with a greenish-yellow bioluminescence against a black background.A bright orange flower with a yellow center, similar to a daisy or zinnia, against a blue background.A pink peony or similar flower in bloom, showing detailed petals and a yellow center with pollen.A close-up of what appears to be small insects or wildlife on ground or soil.Close-up of a black butterfly with blue and white spots or markings on its wings.Extreme close-up of a flower showing vibrant yellow center and red/purple petals with a spiderA partial view of what appears to be a monarch butterfly showing its distinctive orange and black patterned wing.Close-up of an orange and black butterfly (possibly a monarch) feeding on an orange-red flower.A black and white image with a monarch butterfly in color (orange) resting on a flower, creating a selective color effect.
A close-up of a pink or red flower showing its yellow center/pollen area.A feather on the dusty ground with some tiny plants poking out of the dirtA purple thistle flower or similar spiky bloom in close-up.An ant walking along what appears to be a thin wire or stem.A black butterfly with white markings feeding on a small white flower cluster.A small white seashell resting on sand.A gray or dark butterfly with spotted patterns resting on purple flowers.A close-up of what appears to be a stone sculpture or statue showing a human face.A black and white landscape photograph showing what appears to be a person in a natural setting.A close-up of a bright orange-red flower with a prominent yellow center, photographed against a blue background.A close-up of a pink coneflower (echinacea) with a bumblebee collecting pollen from its center.

HDR (High Dynamic Range)

View from inside a dark room or building looking out through a window or doorway at a sunset over green fields.Dramatic landscape with cloudy sky over what appears to be fields or plains with blue mountains in the distance.Elevated view of a valley or landscape from a rocky overlook, with dramatic clouds and blue sky above forested hills.Night cityscape with a river or canal in the foreground, showing city lights reflected on the water's surface.Mountain landscape with a large peak partially covered by clouds against a blue sky, with autumn foliage visible in the foreground.Side view of a weathered barn or wooden structure against a dramatic blue sky at dusk or dawn.Rural dirt road with golden fields on the side under a dramatic blue sky with clouds.Winter sunset over a frozen lake or snow-covered landscape with mountains in the background and dramatic pink-orange sky.
Tall evergreen trees among vibrant orange and red autumn foliage with a dramatic cloudy sky above.Sunset or sunrise over a snow-covered landscape or frozen lake with mountains in the background and a vivid orange-red sky.Sunrise or sunset over a winter landscape with light casting dramatic rays across snowy ground with mountains in the background.Mining structure or water tower on stilts against a vivid blue sky, appearing to be in a desert or arid location.Small red schoolhouse or church with a bell tower under a dramatic cloudy sky in a rural setting.Nighttime cityscape showing illuminated historic buildings along a main street, possibly in a European or older American city, with a domed structure visible.
Sunset landscape with a fence line and autumn foliage under a dramatic cloudy sky.Rural dirt road winding through autumn-colored fields under a dramatic blue sky with clouds.Country dirt road with shrubs or small trees alongside it under a partly cloudy blue sky.Sunset or sunrise over a frozen lake or snowy landscape with sunlight reflecting off the ice and mountains in the background.Red rock formations with a small pine tree growing on the rocks, typical of southwestern US landscapes.Autumn mountain landscape with golden aspen trees in the foreground and dramatic cloudy sky.Side view of a weathered barn or wooden structure at dusk with purple sky gradient.Nighttime view of a historic building or theater with colorful lights illuminating the facade.Aerial night view of a small town or city with lights illuminating streets and buildings, possibly in a valley or near water.Open field or prairie landscape with golden grasses under a dramatic cloudy sky at sunset.

— This post is the fourth in a series profiling a select few among the many outstanding members of the KU Law Class of 2016. Read our profiles of Ashley Akers, Bryce Langford, and Grecia Perez & Jacque Patton.

Category: Careers , Student Life

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