About me

Thom is based in London and Kent. Rooted in a documentary tradition, his work centres around people, objects and places. It is characterised by a gentle and observational approach, a natural and honest quality, and a care for the craft of picture making. In 2015 Thom published his first photobook, Missing Buildings through his own publishing imprint, Hwæt Books. The collaboration with his sister, Beth Atkinson, brings together an extensive body of work documenting the physical and imaginative landscapes of the London Blitz. Thom's interest in Britain, conflict and mythology is ongoing. Commercial clients include Barclays, Volkswagen, Tesco, Esso, Sainsbury’s, Hilti, Humira, Missing People, Metropolitan Police and Cancer Research. Editorial commissions have come from FT Weekend, Hole & Corner, Guardian Weekend Magazine, Telegraph Magazine and Rake's Progress. Thom is represented by Gill Turner.

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Projects

• 2

  Missing BuildingsMarking 75 years since the outbreak of the Blitz, Thom and Beth Atkinson's first photobook, Missing Buildings, seeks to preserve the physical and psychological landscapes of the Second World War in London. Over a million of London’s buildings were destroyed or damaged by bombing between 1940 and 1945. From the mysterious gap in a suburban terrace, to the incongruous post-war inner city estate, Missing Buildings reveals London as a vast archeological site, bearing the visible scars of its violen
• Soldiers' InventoriesSoldiers’ Inventories illustrates the personal equipment carried by the common soldier through the past 1000 years. Beginning with the Norman Conquest and ending with the present day, each photograph represents an evolutionary stage, grounded by a historic battle.
• Portraits
• 2

  Airfix Ruins
• 1

  TeaA series looking at the quiet rituals of tea drinking.
• 1

  Hoppers & PickersHoppers and Pickers documents the hop and apple harvest on Bullen Farm, in the Low Weald of Kent.  As the harvest ends, the air of the Kentish Low Weald smells sweetly of apples, rotting on the ground. Mr Wheeler says the hops and apples don’t pay much any more. When the creaky old hop frames fall down he won’t replace them. But the farm seems to keep going - the old tractors and the hop picking machine have been running since the 1950s. The Czech workers joke that it is like a museum.

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Work history

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PhotographerThom Atkinson Limited
Jan 2004London, United KingdomFreelance
Represented by Gill Turner - http://www.gillturner.com/contact/

Skills

• Advertising Photography
• Photography
• Art Photography
• Commercial Photography
• Documentary Photography
• Editorial Photography
• Portrait Photography
• Location Photography

Education

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MA Photography and the LandPlymouth University
Sep 2011 - Jan 2014Plymouth, United Kingdom