First off, I hope you are all doing well during these crazy, challenging times. I personally find that my creativity thrives during unexpected challenges and times of personal struggle. I may not have the answers or solutions to the problems at hand, but I do have the power to choose how I respond.  I always try to turn my negatives into positives. I hope during these times during lockdown you have been able to get inspired from others and find a little more time to pursue your own creativity.

For nearly 12 years now, I’ve been creating film looks and presets based on my experience in film photography for ON1. I’ve worked in a variety of roles within our company from support, sales, development/testing and one of the things that I have truly loved is creating film based looks for the digital era based on my decades of experience as a film photographer.

When I started at ON1, the iPhone had just been announced the previous year. I remember sitting with my late father watching the Apple keynote where Steve Jobs announced “3 revolutionary products’ an iPod, a Phone, and a breakthrough internet communications device.

Little could any of us predicted how revolutionary and industry changing the iPhone would be on nearly every aspect of our lives, let alone photography. In 2009, ON1 released its first iOS app, DSLR Camera Remote. This would be the world’s first iOS ‘app’ that would allow you to remotely control your DSLR camera from the iPhone. I am so proud of Dan Harlacher our VP of Product (one of my best friends) and his creative vision and the team that delivered one of the original iOS applications to the world.

Fast forward to now, 2020, and today we have just released ON1 360, the next evolution of ON1 apps, giving you the ability to sync your photos from all your desktop and mobile devices, together.

Photography has always been driven by technological innovation from the first cameraless cynotypes, to Kodak’s invention of the Brownie camera onto the first ever digital camera. From Edwin Land’s industry changing Polaroid to Hasselblad’s legendary mission to the moon. Photography has been there to capture some of the world’s most historic moments over the last century; to our most personal and cherished memories from our daily lives. Now more so than ever, photography has the power to capture and change the world.

I live and breathe photography. Photography is my life. It is really all I know. Today we live in a selfie-driven culture, where taking pictures of yourself is the norm and not the exception. When I first started photography I began taking self portraits and was fascinated with how photographers, photographed themselves. Now 30+ years later, I’m still taking self-portraits along this life journey and I wanted to capture and create an image for 2020.5 that reflected this.

I have a lot of cameras. And I love them all, but i am married to none. They all have unique personalities and each do the same thing (take a picture) but all do so slightly differently. When I took this self portrait, I wanted to show some of these different tools that I currently use and have used through the years, but capture it with the camera I use the most: the iPhone.

I combined about half dozen frames shot on the iPhone using ON1 PHOTO RAW 2020 and Layers to combine the photos together.
(check out the awesome tutorials we have by Dylan Kotecki and our ON1 Gurus)

I’m not a technical photographer. I’m not interested in f/stops and shutter speeds. Or luminosity masks or Levels or Curves (but of course, know how to use them.) There is no right or wrong way to do anything creatively. I know enough Photoshop to be dangerous. Enough to fake it. You don’t need to be a PS guru to take your photography and photographic vision to the next level. That is what I love about ON1 and the easy to use tools we create.

I am a big believer in using what you have access to. I’ve taken some of my most favorite photographs with crappy point and shoot cameras and truly believe it’s not the camera that takes great photos, it’s what’s in your mind and heart that helps guide and create your personal vision.

I love this quote by the legendary portrait photographer Arnold Newman:
“A lot of photographers think that if they buy a better camera they’ll be able to take better photographs. A better camera won’t do a thing for you if you don’t have anything in your head or in your heart.”

I’m interested in creativity: Of breaking so called ‘rules’ and following your heart and gut instinct.
That is truly my guiding force.

When I was a child, I’d get easily flustered with tasks at hand. My father would calm me down and put his hand on my shoulder and look me in the eye, “Son, keep the focus…’
Little did I know how literal those words would be to my life’s calling.

I hope you all can continue to be inspired and find much light and hope wherever you are during these extremely challenging times.

Stay safe. Be well.

-Jonny Davenport
undaunted.com

Technical Notes:

• Shot on a regular iPhone 11
• Profoto Lighting
• Combined approximately 6 photos in Layers using masking brush and experimenting with different blend modes
• Added Vignette & Vintage filters in Effects
• Used my girlfriend’s hand to hold the phone

If you’re interested in film photography you can connect with Jonny on social media: @jonnydavenport

Keep an eye out for his film preset pack collection, coming later this year.