Meet Jon Davey, an Edinburgh based photographer, specialising in portraiture and events photography. Jon took photos at our birthday event at Whitespace in January 2016.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself.
After twenty plus years in IT at two of Edinburgh’s biggest companies I decided there was more to life than the office 9-to-5. I went back to college and got a degree in Professional Photography at Stevenson College (now part of Edinburgh College). Since graduating I have been working as a freelance and been re-invigorated since moving to Portobello a little more than a year ago. I am involved with a number of local initiatives down there, including TEDx Portobello and Art Walk Porty.
Photo of Jon by Petr Nehyba
What inspired you to first pick up a camera?
Although I got my first camera - a Kodak Instamatic that took those little film cartridges you just dropped in - when I was six, I slightly fell out of love with photography in my thirties when digital cameras first arrived. Although I had one, I was frustrated by its weaknesses and it wasn’t until affordable DSLRs appeared that the passion returned. After quitting work I determined to get to know my D70 inside and out, which led me to search for a course, which led to Stevenson and three and a half years of studying photography…
What subjects are you most drawn to?
Pictures of people, usually candid reportage work that aims to tell a story. I like quietly capturing events as they unfold in front of my lens. In contrast I also like to photograph the everyday details all around me. And since moving to Portobello I have taken a lot of pictures of the sea!
What is your favourite gear you’re using at the moment?
Is it too cliched to say the best camera is the one I have with me? Some days that will be my trusty Lumix in my coat pocket. Other days, and always when I’m working, my Nikon D700 - getting on a bit now but still a great camera - with either of my two workhorse f2.8 lenses - 24-70mm or 70-200mm.
What are your favourite creative resources?
There are pictures everywhere and frequently people I follow on Twitter or are friends with on Facebook bring things to my attention. I like to follow the links to the artists’ personal websites rather than just make do with the few selected images in the online article. And I am a Blipper - sharing a photo a day, every day on the Blipfoto site. There are images there from all over the world, from the super commercial to the super ordinary. All may be inspiring.
Please tell us the story behind one of your favourite photographs.
Assuming you mean one I took, rather than merely like. Telling stories are what I like best and frequently a story of an event involves a series of images rather than just one. Still, often in a set there is one image that stands out. For example, when photographing the Pedal on Parliament cycling event I got an image of a young boy at the head of the procession of cyclists going down the Royal Mile.
I chose a spot where the Royal Mile flattened out but with a view up the hill and using a long lens and a wide aperture to blur the following cyclists into splotches of colour looked out for someone to come into view. The young lad on his bike was perfect, cycling on his own, with an event tee-shirt and a little banner on the front of his bike. The PoP organisers clearly thought so too as they asked to use it to promote the next event.
