After working in fashion and music industry photography, Tom Pilston began working as a freelance photojournalist in London in the mid eighties.

In 1989, he became a staff photographer for the Independent on Sunday and the Independent in 1996. Specialising in photo essays from home and abroad, from Bosnia to Burma, Sudan to Kosovo, he contributed to all the Independent titles.

Tom left the Independent in 2007 to work as a freelance.

Throughout his career, Tom has also worked extensively for many Aid agencies and NGOs.