John Deakin took up photography in the 1930s when he found a cheap camera in his room after a party. After serving with the Army Film Unit during the war he became involved with French and then British Vogue until he was dismissed in 1955. His portraiture is characterised by a stark reality which he achieves through use of natural light, non-descript backgrounds, cropped frames and a non-glossy grainy finish. He hides nothing of his sitters but instead attempts to capture the atmosphere and attitudes common to post-war artists and writers living in Bohemian Soho and 'Fitzrovia' in the 1940s and 1950s.

A collection of portraits by John Deakin is in the Victoria and Albert Museum.