Behind the camera

About me

Hi! I’m Tommy.

I’m a photographer in London, UK, specialising in natural photos for people which bring out their personality—even if they don’t normally enjoy being photographed.

I’ve been taking photos around London for years. It’s involved street photography, architecture photography (particularly around London), and portraiture of people and groups alike.

I’ve been a creative personality since before I even started at school. For whatever reason, I embarked on a career in tech, spending 11 years as a software engineer. Music was the first thing to make a comeback in my mid-20s. But around the same time, some of my colleagues at the place I worked ran an “art of photography” course which I attended.

“Your first 10,000 photos will be your worst…” they’d said, “so get to 10,001 as quickly as possible.”

It didn’t take long. I was hooked.

Tommy McDevitt playing the guitar outdoors

The very compressed version

From taking pictures to building a photography business

First

London itself

Street photography, architecture and learning to notice light, shape and timing

Then

People who forgot about the camera

Friends, musicians and guests at events; usually at their best when they were busy doing something else

The useful clue

The photos started travelling

They appeared in profile pictures, websites, social posts and, occasionally, dating profiles

Now

Relaxed portrait and event photography

Helping people get strong, useful photographs without turning the experience into a stiff performance

How I photograph people

About my photography

Even as a beginner, I loved taking candid shots.

I was never interested in stiff poses or fake lifestyle scenes; I always wanted to catch people at their most natural. I’d drift around parties and gatherings, taking photos of people who were too absorbed in a moment to notice. The result was almost always shots of people smiling, laughing and relaxing in a way that would never be possible in a photo studio.

Then, when my photos started cropping up on social media in profile pictures (and yes, even on dating apps) I knew I was onto a winner.

Whether I’m doing professional headshots, dating photos, social media portraits or events, I’m always going for the same thing: capture the subject(s) in a way that reflects their best self.

You’ll never hear me tell you to “stare wistfully into the distance and contemplate a beautiful future!”

I might as well ask you to do a double backflip.

No. My style of photography is different. I may ask my subjects to stand somewhere, turn a certain way or do something with their hands. But it’s all in service of the main mission: get photos of you as you are, not the version of you I think I can manufacture.

And if you look at a photo I’ve taken and think, “Yep…that looks like me!”—I’ll know I’ve accomplished my goal.