Jon Devo column

Jon Devo reflects on capturing images that make an impact, now and in the future

Capturing images to make an impact

Do you ever think about how your images may be viewed in years to come? I’m not just speaking about the practicality of how they are viewed, but about the impression that your body of work leaves with its viewers. What do the images you capture say about the time you live in now? What do they say about your surroundings? What do they say about you?

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing one of the most important British photographers of the 20th century – although you may not know his name. Charlie Phillips came to the UK from Jamaica in the late 1950s and took up photography as a hobby. The family settled in North Kensington; the plan was only to remain in the UK for five years. Inheriting a camera from his father’s friend, Charlie captured the new environment he found himself in, so he would be able to show friends and family back home what London life was like when he returned.

But Charlie didn’t return. Instead, he spent the next three decades photographing some of the most pivotal moments and people related to Black British Caribbean culture, including the wake of the race riots in West London and the subsequent first Notting Hill Carnival that brought the largely immigrant community closer together. He also photographed Muhammad Ali, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Henri Cartier-Bresson.

But despite being a pioneer and finding recognition in Europe, much of Charlie’s work was largely ignored by the photographic, art and culture establishment in the UK for decades. His insightful, intimate documentary photography only began to find an audience in the UK due to public demand for his work, after he began displaying it independently and through local partnerships. Now in his mid-70s, Charlie’s popularity is resurgent. A new audience of people is discovering his work and giving him his dues, perhaps 30 years later than one might have expected.

This is what got me thinking about the impact of the images we capture, particularly in today’s context, where images are rarely printed but are predominantly shared and archived digitally. I’m concerned that the fast-food nature of photography consumption in the digital age may be changing the way many of us approach photography. After spells of spending too much time online, I find that much of what I see is simply chasing trends.

When I look at my ironically named ‘feed’, the content feels throw-away and temporary, rather than timeless. It starves me of creative energy; when I’m in need of inspiration, I often have to look back to the pioneers of the past, rarely to my contemporaries. Of course, there are some incredible current creatives whose work does push me to explore the edges of my comfort zone, and I make an effort to celebrate them by resharing their work on my social media channels.

Without a conscious effort to create work that authentically represents the times we live in, our work may never make a real impact. Beyond the latest trendy protest to show up at, what else is happening in your world? What will generations to come be inspired by?

Scan ahead, find the truth in your surroundings, and capture it.

“What will generations to come be inspired by?”

Few things cheer the soul more than the comfort blanket of nostalgia, and Nikon’s design team certainly got wise to this. The Z fc is a throwback to the glory days of film SLRs, a territory the brand last visited in 2013. But while that was with a full-frame DSLR, the latest addition to the Nikon camera line-up is a contemporary APS-C mirrorless that revisits the joyous experience of capturing images via a full set of tactile controls. Nikon clearly hopes that offering an analogue experience in a digital world will create a new demographic of buyers – a strategy confirmed by the addition of a vari-angle rear screen that will delight young photographers and vloggers alike.

One manufacturer sticking with what it knows best, on the other hand, is Pentax. Its latest APS-C DSLR proves there’s certainly plenty of life left in the format, and while there are design quirks, the K-3 Mark III can certainly produce sumptuous images.

Also in this issue, we publish an up-to-theminute roundup of macro prime lenses for DSLRs and mirrorless, and test a premium lens for Fujifilm’s GFX system. Rod Lawton