Meet Tom Beard

The photographer behind the cover of Florence and The Machine's debut album opn Primal Scream and Pre-Raphaelite art.

From Twickenham to Camberwell and now newly to Dalston, the photographer Tom Beard has spent all of his 24 years living and working in London. The capital, he says, has completely shaped his outlook, and his eyes have been opened to the unseen city by books such as Peter Ackroyd’s London: The Biography and a fascination with the Victorian romantic painters who used Bloomsbury as their stomping ground. Tom is best known for his striking portraits of his flame-haired pal Florence Welch, of Florence and the Machine. He Shot The Cover of her multiple award-winning 2009 debut, Lungs, and has directed five of her videos. Tomorrow he’ll shoot the artwork for Ceremonials, the singer’s November-bound second album – “It’s like clockwork, we know what we want,” he says – and then he’s heading to Ibiza for a well-earned break, where he hopes to catch Primal Scream play Screamadelica live. Tom first met Florence in Camberwell, in south-east London, when he was 17, having moved there when he left home in Twickenham, and his career has taken off in tandem with hers. “Overnight, the project enveloped my life, it’s unstoppable,” he says. “I’ve not done anything else since, but I’m excited and proud to do it.” Beyond Florence, he’s toured the States with indie darlings the Big Pink, photographed album sleeves for another friend, cockney rebel Jamie T, and spends time producing short but lucrative film commissions for fashion houses, most recently one called Journey for menswear designer James Small. Pretty soon, though, Tom would like to focus on more personal projects and move into short-film making. “What do I like? Morbid, Pre-Raphaelite stuff. I love Caravaggio and the darkness and richness of his paintings.” He’s in the right place: Tom recently moved to Dalston in east London, where he lives in a “creative hub” with the designer Dominic Jones who’s famed for his macabre jewellery. In their hands, the world could become a very strange place.  Later on, please add the just-announced album title Ceremonials so the sentence will be: Tomorrow he’ll shoot the artwork for Ceremonials, the singer’s November-bound second album – “It’s like clockwork, we know what we want,” he says – and then he’s heading to Ibiza for a well-earned break, where he hopes to catch Primal Scream play Screamadelica live.