Tom Sweeney

Tom Sweeney
Digital Creative
Photography, Cinematography, Drones, Editing, Retouching, Colour Grading, Design & More

As a kid, I was always fascinated by photography, constantly trying to find what it means to take a "good photo" and testing the limits of my creativity.

I never found school to be the right environment to nurture my creative side and always preferred to learn at my own pace through trial and error. Years later and the learning has not ceased.

Starting with a simple smartphone, I progressed on to a hand-me-down Fujifilm XT2, a beloved workhorse in the industry famed for its stunning classic nature and unbeatable reliability. It's hard to think of a reason to ever part from this camera as it still so solidly reinforces the quote: "Old but gold."

Today, I find myself branching out into many areas of photography: automotive, portraiture, architecture, street, landscape, and I welcome the opportunity to try even more wherever possible.

Being a biker, I often found myself taking pictures and videos of my motorbike and posting them on social media. Suddenly, one of the first "meme" videos I posted to TikTok went viral, taking me from a mere 200 followers to 20,000 in only 2 days. Following this, I continued to post funny and relatable videos, a few more of which went viral, as the rather mysterious algorithm does, taking me to nearly 50,000 followers and collectively millions of views. This has inspired me to expand further into videography and cinematography with results coming soon.

a zoomed in shot of a modern building in Media City, Salford. In the foreground is a contemporary styled

Portfolio

Automotive

A moody shot in Media City, Salford, looking down from above on a silver Ferrari supercar. The car park is empty, drawing the attention right to the striking car.

A naturally framed shot of the golden wheel of a McLaren 750s supercar in a very vibrant toothpaste blue. It was taken at Mclaren Manchester in Wilmslow after the dealer had closed and it had gone dark. There is a soft purple glow from the lights left on inside the dealership, complimenting the bold blue of the car.

A menacing shot of a Ferrari 296gtb inside the Ferrari dealership in Wilmslow. The lights in the shop were completely off, though a soft glow from the street lamps outside illuminated the front of the car. This is a downward shot of the car's sleek and aggressive looking headlight and front-right corner of the bumper.

A front facing shot of the aforementioned blue Audi RS1 displayed in the middle of a garage converted into an auto-detailing shop. The car is surrounded by shelves of cleaning items in a contemporary space. Two customers stand on the right browsing the backlit shelves, while the car sits pretty.

Bike & Rider

A close up of a biker in a white t-shirt. taken from down low, the shot looks up at him as he leans onto the tank of his KTM. The headlight and bars are in view at the bottom of the image. The face of the biker can't be seen past his mirrored visor.

Architecture

I always find myself fascinated by strange patterns in the world. These pieces aim to accentuate unusual parallels, tessellations and visual fragments with a liminal, dreamlike undertone.

Gradually being released to INPRNT for high quality print purchase, see here
Discount codes will be released occasionally on my Instagram

A moody shot of the curved edge of a modern building in Manchester. Each window has a different scene within, most with dimmer lighting or closed curtains. The central window, slightly to the bottom of the image, has its curtain open, making it a clear subject of the image. The purple glow of the dark building at night contrasts nicely with the yellow hue of the lights through the window.

A front facing shot of the wall a grey modern sky scraper in Manchester. Up the middle of the image is a column of windows. Either side of the windows are long strips of light in the face of the building with a blueish green glow. The shot was taken at night, with subtle lighting off to the left, giving the building a soft gradient of light to dark as you scan across.

A shot of a modern, brick-orange block of apartments in Manchester, taken from afar. Above the apartments, where the sky would normally be, is nothing but tiny windows. Behind the apartment block is an array of similar styled skyscrapers, that when shot at the right angle, completely block the sky from view behind it. Since the skyscrapers are mostly glass, and are blue as a result, at first glance, it appears to be the sky. You only notice the sky has been stolen away once you look closer into the image.

Other Projects

Singularity - Manchester Trams
Continuing the colour splash theme is my collection of pictures of Manchester's iconic trams and their bold yellow colour scheme.
Like those cliché pics with the red London busses, but I have too much northern pride.

A black and white shot of the front of a tram at a tram stop in Deansgate. in manchester. These trams are silver, with yellow either end, a very iconic look. The yellow of the tram was preserved from the otherwise black and white image, drawing the eye.

Another front-facing shot of a yellow tram at the tram stop in St. Peters Square. The yellow again popping out from the black and white surroundings. In the background is a cluster of modern looking skyscrapers, with the sun just about peeking in between them. Either side of the tram are crowds of busy people going about their lives.

Yet Another shot of a yellow tram, taken through the glass panels of the tram stop, adding an interesting amount of obstruction, reflections and natural framing to the image.

Favourites
Here's some more of my favourite shots over the last few years. I'll let these speak for themselves.

A portrait of a girl reading a book on the train. The light outside bounces from her face, backlighting her incredibly well.

A zoomed in shot taken down a train carriage from a seat. Waiting at the door to leave is a young man in a bright yellow hoodie, the exact same yellow seen in the handrails obstructing the view of him. The yellow in the image is incredibly enhanced, showing how one's clothes may interact with their surroundings.

An extremely empty shot of a beach while the tide was out. The image is very blue, post sunset. The cloudy skies cast a beautiful layered pattern matching up with the flat horizon of the rough sea. On the horizon is a couple, playing fetch with their dog. The minimalism stresses the importance of relationships with loved ones, and that perhaps all you ever need is love.

A dark, enchanting shot taken across a pond of a hidden garden in a forest. In the foreground are some out-of-focus lily pads and strands of pond grass. Across the pond, there are a couple of beautiful small trees with vibrant coloured leaves. One of which is yellow, while the other is a deep red. Up the hill from there is a band-stand, the kind that you'd expect a couple of star struck lovers in a romantic movie to dance in.

"The autistic eye sees life in a different light. I aim to capture that in its rawest form."

Like my work?

Consider checking out:
Instagram
Regularly posting photography and other cool stuff
NEW: YouTube
Motovlogs, Photography content and More coming soon
NEW: Purchase a high quality print
Discount codes will be released occasionally on my Instagram
Support my work
Buy me a drink on Ko-fi: @tomsweens

What can I offer you?
Now taking new clients and partnerships. Contact me anywhere.
Email: [email protected]

A mirror selfie of me, Tom. Though, I did it my own way, holding my Fujifilm XT-2 camera over my eyes.