  In this paper we propose and study direct single top quark production channel
for probing the tq$\gamma$ flavor-changing neutral current (FCNC) interactions
at the LHC. We reinterpret the experimental results of a search for direct
single top quark production performed by ATLAS collaboration at 8 TeV to set
upper bounds on the FCNC top quark decay branching fractions through the
proposed channel, resulting in ${\cal B}$(t$\rightarrow$ u$\gamma$) $<$ 0.05\%
and ${\cal B}$(t$\rightarrow$ c$\gamma$) $<$ 0.14\%. Finally, the expected
sensitivity at 13 TeV for various integrated luminosity scenarios is estimated.
