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

Hand putting SD card into a card reader attached to a laptop on a desk

The best memory card readers: copy images and video to your computer

By Ben Andrews last updated

Buying Guide These are the best memory card readers to supercharge your SD, CFexpress & CompactFlash memory card image transfers

Buying Guide
A stunning, low-angle photograph of several porcelain-white mushrooms growing on a dark, mossy log reflected in a pool of water, set against a misty, autumn forest floor covered in golden and brown leaves.

Mushrooms, mist and a 16mm gamble: here's what happened when photographer Albert Dross went ultra-wide and ultra-low with his camera

By Tom May published

NEWS An extreme low angle, a 16mm lens and meticulous focus stacking turned forest fungi into a glowing, otherworldly scene.

NEWS
A large spider is seen on a wet, dark brown rock, holding a small, metallic green and yellow fish in its fangs, with the fish's reflection visible in the water below.

This pin-sharp photo freezes the dramatic moment when a spider catches a fish

By Tom May published

NEWS A split-second decision and well-chosen gear combine to create a stunning wildlife moment

NEWS
A diptych displays two contrasting landscape photographs: on the left, a bulbous bottle tree under a starry, red-tinged night sky, and on the right, an aerial view of an iceberg meeting dark blue ocean water that swirls into a foamy spiral.

These 5 astonishing landscape photographs capture some of nature's most delicate and dramatic moments

By Tom May published

NEWS From Namibian dunes to Icelandic icebergs, the special category winners in the Landscape Photographer of the Year 2025 contest offer a lot for photographers to learn from.

NEWS
A split image showing two people in American Gothic style holding a "SOLD" sign on the left, and the same two people next to a pool in a mid-century modern scene on the right.

This award-winning example of commercial photography highlights the power of a brilliant concept

By Tom May published

NEWS Shot on a Nikon Z8, The Art of The Ideal Deal won big at the Tokyo International Foto Awards for its witty take on real estate

NEWS
A tranquil, misty morning scene shows a row of pink cherry blossom trees and evergreen trees reflected in a calm, dark body of water.

Shot with a Canon EOS R6 Mark II, this breathtaking panorama captures the profound stillness of Japan's countryside

By Tom May published

INSPIRATION Megumi Murakami's award-winning image blends together the mystical qualities of fog, dawn light and nature's perfect symmetry

INSPIRATION
A salp floats in the dark water, containing several smaller organisms inside it, including a small, yellow, black-spotted juvenile boxfish, a glowing orange jellyfish, and several crustaceans.

Captured on an Indonesian night dive with a Nikon D800E, this remarkable image reveals a tiny universe of undersea life

By Tom May published

NEWS Massimo Giorgetta's award-winning macro shot shows a transparent salp sheltering an array of microscopic creatures

NEWS
A dramatic, low-light photograph of the red and white wooden structures of the Byōdō-in Temple in Uji, Japan, reflected clearly in the dark water of a pond, with a single white koi fish near the bottom left corner.

Taken with a 61MP resolution specialist camera, this dark and moody vision of a Japanese temple transforms a postcard favorite into fine art​

By Tom May published

Rintaro Ukon used a combination of ultra‑wide precision, 61MP detail and meticulous grading to make one of Japan’s most photographed temples feel strangely new.​

Fine Art Photography
A boy in a red beanie, gray hoodie, and jeans climbs over the curved roof of a brightly graffitied structure at a bus stop during a dusky sunset

This photo series documenting children's dangerous school journeys is a worthy awards winner

By Tom May published

News Laura Pannack's project has been recognised by an inaugural award honoring photojournalist Tom Stoddart

News
A person sitting in an office chair is using two specialized control panels to edit video across a three-monitor setup, flanked by studio monitor speakers and with a large screen showing a close-up of a man above.

32K video editing is now a thing... but what on earth does that mean in reality?

By Tom May published

Opinion DaVinci Resolve now supports 32K editing. But I'm wondering if that actually makes sense, or whether it's all just a weird dream.

Opinion
A slightly worn, sepia-toned image of a smiling, bespectacled man with the text "George Shaw: Birmingham's Photographic Pioneer," partially obscuring a blurred, tall clock tower in the background.

Why is Birmingham's first photographer finally getting the recognition he deserves after 180 years?

By Tom May published

This Victorian chemist's experiments in silver plating prefigured today's obsession with sensor technology and exposure times

Galleries and Exhibitions
iPhone 16e on graduated bg

After a decade spent using Android, the new 'cheap iPhone' might finally tempt me over to Apple

By Tom May published

opinion The rumoured iPhone 17e could bridge the gap between budget Android and iOS polish... without the flagship price.

opinion
A printed Christmas card featuring a photo of a smiling couple in winter hats is displayed on a white table next to lit candles, with a blurred Christmas tree in the background.

This is the REAL reason British families keep photographing the same Christmas scenes every year (and what pros can learn from it)

By Tom May published

NEWS Here's an interesting statistic that I think every family photographer should know about

NEWS
TwText: A photograph of two children eating ice cream, standing beside a red car

RIP Martin Parr: the photographer who found joy in the ordinary

By Tom May published

Britain's greatest documentary photographer leaves behind a legacy that transformed how we see everyday life.

Street Photography
A group of small trees on a misty day in a body of water, displaying bright yellow-orange autumn leaves and clear reflections.

This magical photo series won gold and evokes the mystical beauty of Japan's waterside trees – shot with two Panasonic full-frame cameras

By Tom May published

WINNER Genki Uehara's award-winning photos document nature's timeless cycle through moody, atmospheric imagery

WINNER
A wide-angle, long-exposure photograph captures the brilliant arch of the Milky Way galaxy stretching across a dark night sky, above a low, grass-covered hill that is illuminated from below, highlighting its textured surface and trailing vines.

Shot with an old Canon 5D Mark III DSLR, this photo captures an astonishing Milky Way arc over a Mount Fuji-inspired landscape

By Tom May published

NEWS This image by Taiwanese photographer Shang Yao-Yuan shows that you don't need the latest kit to capture the cosmos

NEWS
A woman in a tan coat stands in front of a backdrop depicting a blooming spring scene, flanked by heavily damaged, multi-story buildings.

Alena Grom's Ukraine series shows what documentary photography looks like when you're part of the story

By Tom May published

News The TIFA Photographer of the Year 2025 has been shooting portraits in the ruins of her own neighborhood after Russian occupiers were driven out

News
A close-up, high-angle view of a densely packed group of koi fish with various orange, white, black, and speckled patterns swimming in murky water, with a single small pink flower floating near the center-left.

Oscar-nominated filmmaker is reinventing nature and landscape photography and this beautiful free ebook highlights how

By Tom May published

News The writer and producer behind Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves has swapped the big screen for impressionist images of nature

News
A macro photograph captures a tiny, reddish-brown pseudoscorpion using its enlarged, clawed pedipalps to hold and subdue a translucent, smaller arthropod prey item on a moist, textured surface.

17-year-old captures the detail of this tiny predator with a Fujifilm X-H2 camera by patiently shooting a 104-frame focus stack

By Tom May published

Teenager Alexis Tinker-Tsavalas employed a flash, diffuser and Laowa Ultra Macro lens to produce this incredible image

Nature and Wildlife Photography
A dark, moody close-up of a pile of blood oranges, with a few cut open to reveal the striking red and orange interior.

This ‘Rising Star’ award might change your photographic career (or at least your relationship with broccoli)

By Tom May published

If you've ever spent half an afternoon coaxing a sprig of coriander to flutter just so, there’s a new award with your name all over it.

Food Photography
An aerial shot of the Văcărești Nature Park, a wetland area with ponds, green marshland, and trees, set against the hazy skyline of Bucharest, Romania, under a bright sun.

Shot using a DJI Air 2S drone, this view of an urban wetland is a breathtaking sight – and this kind of documentary aerial work isn't easy

By Tom May published

INSPIRATION Nature's resilience shines through this aerial perspective

INSPIRATION
A composite image featuring a black and white close-up of a chimpanzee wearing a silver mask on the left, and a color image of a mossy, gnarled tree shrouded in fog on the right.

A new book about Albert Watson shows why the "photographer's photographer" has never needed to pick a lane

By Tom May published

After 50 years shooting everyone from Hitchcock to Bowie, this retrospective highlights the power of refusing to specialize.

Books
Aerial view of a snowy bog landscape with numerous pools of water reflecting the golden light of the sun.

Expertly photographed with the DJI Mavic 3 Pro, this landscape of frozen peat pools looks like an ethereal, alien world

By Tom May published

WINNER Shot in Estonia, this award-winning image demonstrates the creative potential of modern drone photography

WINNER
Bird box containing cameras

The best bird box camera in 2025

By Tom May last updated

Updated Capture images and video of nesting birds you couldn't get by yourself, with the best bird box cameras

Updated
A dramatic, dark blue macro photograph of a moth's face, focusing sharply on its large, glowing yellow-and-red compound eyes in an otherwise blurred, nocturnal setting.

Shot with a Canon EOS R5 and custom lighting, this magical, otherworldly photo captures a moth's glowing eyes

By Tom May published

RUNNER-UP Ivo Niermann reveals how he built custom lighting to photograph the tapetum lucidum effect in nocturnal insects

RUNNER-UP
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