March 1996 - Village Recording, West Hollywood, California.  Robert Sebree reflects: “Tom was scoring his first film, She’s The One for Ed Burns. The timing was good and the project served as a welcome diversion from his ongoing divorce. He had moved out of the family house and was adjusting to living alone for the first time in years. Over lunch one day I mentioned that I was in the middle of my divorce which provided the common ground we needed to engage in topics a little deeper than our typical conversations.  After a long day in the studio I would often get a call from Tom that would last for hours as we discussed everything except the day we had just spent together. He spoke as if we were going through the same thing and I argued that our circumstances were very different - most obviously that he had children and a mountain of assets. He made me realize that in the ways that mattered that we were experiencing a lot of the same pain, turmoil and uncertainty, as well as a sense of excitement—because our futures no longer seemed preordained.” Prices are shown for unframed items, excluding VAT. VAT is added at checkout where applicable. Signed limited edition photographs are available in a choice of physical size options. Click on the size options below to see available sizes and prices. Please allow 2-3 weeks between order and delivery for an unframed photograph. If you would like a quote for framing please just ask. Framing adds 2-3 weeks.

August 1988 - Point Dume, California  Robert Sebree recalls: “I made this photograph within minutes of first meeting Tom. When I introduced myself he smiled and said with a slow, exaggerated southern draw “If there’s anything I can do for you, you just let me know”. As we carefully made our way across some jagged rocks along the beach he mentioned that if he slipped he would bleed a steady stream of the weed he had flowing through his veins. You don’t forget that kind of “Hello”. At the time I had no point of reference to base this experience on but as we continued to work together over the years I came to realize the ease with which we got on from the beginning. Shortly after shooting this image, Tom’s art director requested a meeting. Rather than deferring to the label’s art department Tom would hire his own creative team so he could oversee the art himself. The cover to Full Moon Fever had already been determined but they were interested in my images for promotion. This image was used full-bleed for the album’s back cover.” Prices are shown for unframed items, excluding VAT. VAT is added at checkout where applicable. Signed limited edition photographs are available in a choice of physical size options. Click on the size options below to see available sizes and prices. Please allow 2-3 weeks between order and delivery for an unframed photograph.  If you would like a quote for framing please just ask. Framing adds 2-3 weeks.

February 1999 - Los Angeles, California  Robert Sebree reflects: “This image was shot a few months before Tom remarried and he was in a great space. Tom was always more comfortable being photographed in his element than sitting for a formal portrait. I made a series of portraits during this period and sensed a greater level of trust. He was very content which I believe allowed him to connect with the camera and embrace the process with greater ease.” Prices are shown for unframed items, excluding VAT. VAT is added at checkout where applicable. Signed limited edition photographs are available in a choice of physical size options. Click on the size options below to see available sizes and prices. Please allow 2-3 weeks between order and delivery for an unframed photograph. If you would like a quote for framing please just ask. Framing adds 2-3 weeks.

August 1993 - Viper Room, Hollywood, California Robert Sebree explains: “This image marks the only time I ever photographed Tom playing to a live audience. Tom had just completed the Greatest Hits package and was considering cover options when Johnny Depp asked him to play at the opening of the Viper Room on Sunset. Tom realized this would be the last time anyone would ever see the whole band playing together in a bar on a tiny stage reminiscent of how they began - the perfect Greatest Hits cover.  Perfect except that Tom and Stan’s relationship was almost at the breaking point and Stan decided to remain in Florida and skip the gig. Tom called Ringo Starr and asked him to sit in for Stan. When I went to the Viper Room that night I was expecting to see Ringo on drums but evidently Ringo was just the impetus Stan needed to jump on a plane. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Greatest Hits—the band’s best selling album of all time—very nearly featured Ringo on the cover.  There was a strict “no cameras" policy for the invitation-only crowd but they made an exception allowing me to photograph the first song of the set. A couple of minutes in a crowded room to capture an image to represent Tom’s entire career… what could go wrong? The light was dismal, the stage only rose a foot or two from the floor so I had to shoot through the crowd. Benmont was shoved so far stage right that he was separated from the band by his keyboards. I positioned myself directly in front of the stage to get all five band members in frame but Benmont was cast in total darkness. I decided to move stage left and shoot down the line of Howie, Tom, Mike and Benmont but the room was too cramped to get the angle I needed on Stan. From other angles either Benmont or Stan were blocked by their own instruments. All the while, there was a very excited, good-natured fan enjoying the show, apparently unaware of my plight, who was insistent on dancing with me. It was mayhem.  This image and one other image from the show were briefly considered for the cover but were rightly discarded because neither of them included all of the Heartbreakers. The image used was a photo that survived the fire of Tom's basement recording studio in the house he lost to arson in 1987, inspiring the song “I Won’t Back Down.” Prices are shown for unframed items, excluding VAT. VAT is added at checkout where applicable. Signed limited edition photographs are available in a choice of physical size options. Click on the size options below to see available sizes and prices. Please allow 2-3 weeks between order and delivery for an unframed photograph. If you would like a quote for framing please just ask. Framing adds 2-3 weeks.

October 1994 - Sebree Studio, Los Angeles, California Robert Sebree explains: “Tom created a vibe in the studio when he recorded that often challenged me photographically. In the pre-digital days photographing band members by candle light tested the limits of film stock. After a particularly dark session at Sound City where the the room was perhaps better suited for processing film than exposing it, Tom took note of my plight and suggested we make a few photographs at my studio—where I could actually see what I was shooting.  Tom arrived in a good mood. It was the week before his 44th birthday and his guitar tech, Alan "Bugs" Weidel, drove him to my downtown studio in his pick-up truck. Tom liked to keep things organic, he didn’t want any of the trappings of a typical shoot—no groomer, wardrobe, caterer or even my assistant. As Tom noted “I like to know who’s taking the picture”. He walked in with a couple of suits thrown over his shoulder and we got right to work.  We never discussed any direction before the shoot. I had four sets pre-lit and ready to go before he arrived. We shot three of them. This was the last set-up and oddly reminiscent of the recording studio that had been too dimly lit to photograph. Dark tapestries festooned the walls, and layers of Persian rugs covered the floor, illuminated by just a few candles.  The first two set-ups have been widely published. This was our favorite. We shelved it for later use— but until now it was never pulled off that shelf.” Prices are shown for unframed items, excluding VAT. VAT is added at checkout where applicable. Signed limited edition photographs are available in a choice of physical size options. Click on the size options below to see available sizes and prices. Please allow 2-3 weeks between order and delivery for an unframed photograph. If you would like a quote for framing please just ask. Framing adds 2-3 weeks.