Tom May

Tom May

Tom May is a freelance writer and editor specializing in art, photography, design and travel. He has been editor of Professional Photography magazine, associate editor at Creative Bloq, and deputy editor at net magazine. He has also worked for a wide range of mainstream titles including The Sun, Radio Times, NME, T3, Heat, Company and Bella.

Latest articles by Tom May

iPhone generations: Various iPhones laid on a blank surface
iPhone generations: which Apple iPhone model is right for you?

By Tom May Last updated

Buying Guide Unsure which iPhone to choose? Our guide breaks down each generation.

Buying Guide
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, one of the best stylus phones
The best stylus phone in 2026: write and draw with precision on your phone

By Gareth Bevan Last updated

Buying guide Draw, sketch, take notes and edit images precisely, with the best stylus phones on the market right now

Buying guide
Don McCullin’s face is partially hidden as he blends into a dense, atmospheric arrangement of historical stone busts and sculptures.
The photograph Don McCullin never showed Britain: his only self-portrait, hidden among Roman statues

By Tom May Published

News This 1963 image seems strangely prophetic.

News
Doja Cat in a structured orange gown poses next to a dark, ornate horse statue within a stylized architectural space featuring yellow and orange archways.
Why David LaChapelle's crazy-complicated photos are the ideal antidote to Instagram

By Tom May Published

News In an age of spontaneous snaps, this retrospective reveals the work behind portraiture's most OTT images.

News
A butcher with a large tattoo on his arm works behind a window, perfectly positioned so a hanging pig's head appears to be his own.
Margarita Mavromichalis's street photos look like happy accidents (but never are)

By Tom May Published

News Great street photography often looks spontaneous – but as this series proves, it takes years of dedicated practice

News
A hand holds a very thin, dark smartphone edge-on against a starry background, featuring the yellow text "Phone (4a)" and the "NOTHING (tv)" logo.
Nothing just announced something radical that could teach Apple a thing or two

By Tom May Published

News By skipping a flagship this year, Nothing has shown the way to the rest of the tech industry.

News
A split-screen comparison of a person's face showing the effect of "Clarity and dehaze" sliders in a photo editing interface.
Photoshop adds Clarity, Dehaze and Grain as adjustment layers to give photographers more editing control

By Tom May Published

News Adobe brings three popular Camera Raw tools into Photoshop's flexible layer workflow, along with AI improvements and curved text

News
A mobile search results page showing image results and a summary about crowds, with a visible prompt at the bottom that reads "Ask AI Mode..."
I'm worried a big Google change this year could kill my favorite websites

By Tom May Published

opinion If the search engine switches to AI mode, it'll starve websites of traffic and destroy the diverse, free web we've come to rely on.

opinion
Three men in flat caps and heavy coats stand behind a low stone wall, appearing to examine or converse over a row of fluffy white sheep.
His color photos made him famous – but these early black-and-white images prove that Martin Parr was always a master

By Tom May Published

News A new exhibition shows an early glimpse of the genius that built the master photographer's reputation

News
A closeup on the Canon logo on a camera
The hidden truth behind Canon's 70-year-old logo – and what it tells you about the brand's philosophy

By Tom May Published

CAMERA HISTORY The famed Canon logo started life as a Buddhist Bodhisattva with a thousand arms. Here's what happened next.

CAMERA HISTORY
MAY 24 , 2024: Photographer Sally Mann relaxes with her dog "Honey" in a meadow of tall grass on her farm near Lexington, Virginia, USA. (Photo by Michael Williamson/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Sally Mann explains why, aged 74, she has finally switched from 10x8in sheet film to using a digital camera

By Tom May Published

After decades of working with 8x10 film, the large-format photographer recently experienced a 'Wizard of Oz' moment.

5 Comments
Photography
A close-up shot shows a small, fluffy squirrel with messy, wet-looking fur peering out from a circular hole in the vibrant orange and reddish-brown bark of a tree.
This is how this squirrel's soggy fur became one of the best wildlife photos of the year

By Tom May Published

Christy Grinton's split-second capture of a bedraggled mother earned finalist honors in the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards.

Nature and Wildlife Photography
A split image showing artist Kaotii wearing pink goggles and striking a pose for a photo pop-up, next to Jordan Rakei wearing headphones and singing into a professional microphone in Studio 3.
Abbey Road's resident photographer on 12 years of persistence, silent shutters and the contest he never wanted to enter

By Tom May Published

Sam Rockman's 12-year journey in photography proves timing matters less than tenacity.

Portrait Photography
A black and white, close-up photograph captures an intimate moment between two foxes, where a smaller kit affectionately nuzzles and nibbles the snout of a larger fox that has its eyes closed in a serene expression
Love bites: This powerful wildlife photo, taken with a Sony A1, captures the beautiful chaos of motherhood

By Tom May Published

WINNER Photographer Janet Gustin froze a split-second moment of tender chaos in this award-winning image

WINNER
Annie Leibovitz attends the press Preview of "WOMEN: New Portraits" The Wapping Project on January 13, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Marsland/WireImage)
"No, The Queen didn't walk out": Annie Leibovitz reveals the truth behind her infamous royal photo shoot

By Tom May Published

News The portrait photographer recalls what really happened during her historic session at Buckingham Palace in 2007.

News
dry cabinet full of camera equipment and lenses
Best dry cabinet for cameras in 2026: keep your kit safe in a climate-controlled cupboard

By Tom May Last updated

Buying Guide Protect your valuable equipment from humidity, with the best dry cabinet for cameras and lenses

Buying Guide
A child with blue skin sits calmly as an adult applies paint to their face in a dimly lit room
Shot with a Fujifilm X-T4 camera, this entrancing image beautifully captures an ancient Hindu ritual

By Tom May Published

NEWS Indranil Sengupta's award-winning shot captures the intimate moment a young performer is transformed into a Hindu deity

NEWS
Ulefone Armor 29 Ultra phone on desk next to normal sized phone
Rugged phones completely changed my life in 2025 – here's why these big beasts have become my most trusted travelling companions

By Tom May Published

Opinion These travel companions solved problems that I didn't know I had

Opinion
LCE POTY 2026
You have less than 2 weeks to enter the £10,000 LCE Photographer of the Year

By Tom May Published

NEWS The free-to-enter photography contest closes on January 21

NEWS
A close-up, joyful portrait of a person with a shaved head laughing broadly, with red liquid resembling blood smeared across their nose, lips, and teeth.
Meet the youthful, often shocking future of fine art photography at Circulation(s) 2026

By Tom May Published

News 26 photographers from 15 countries showcase work in Paris exploring identity, memory and social issues

News
Two women stand side-by-side against a pebbled wall, each leaning on a shopping cart overflowing with white and blue plastic grocery bags.
How Martin Parr spent five decades photographing the climate crisis – without even realizing

By Tom May Published

NEWS A new Paris retrospective reinterprets the late photographer's work as environmental unravelling

3 Comments
NEWS
Sophia Loren is seen in a profile view sitting in the back of a car, wearing a voluminous fur-trimmed coat and a pussy-bow blouse.
200 unpublished Sophia Loren portraits teach us the importance of trust between photographers and their subjects

By Tom May Published

News A Life magazine photographer's decades-long access to the Hollywood icons offers lessons for today's image-saturated world

News
A man in a black leather jacket and a woman in a tan jacket stand back-to-back while wearing stylish Rokid smart glasses.
These new AI smart glasses could actually make sense for photographers (and they're cheaper than RayBans)

By Tom May Published

CES 2026 You get 10 minutes of video recording, triple-format capture for social platforms, and prescription lenses as standard

CES 2026
Product shot of the Amazfit's V1TAL Food Camera
This flip-open food camera uses AI to track everything you eat (but it is not meant for foodporn)

By Tom May Published

CES 2026 Amazfit's V1TAL Food Camera raises questions about where cameras belong in daily life

CES 2026
A hand holds a smartphone featuring a unique, motorized gimbal camera module on top that is pointed toward a woman displayed on the screen.
Honor just reinvented the camera phone! But will this tempt you away from Apple?

By Tom May Published

CES The Robot Phone packs in a three-axis gimbal, potentially replacing thousands of dollars worth of stabilization gear.

CES
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