Magnum Photographer Donovan Wylie Goes Digital

Digital is better than the naked eye”, proclaimed celebrated documentary and Magnum photographer Donovan Wylie at a recent demonstration of how he has embraced digital technology. Organised by Hewlett Packard at their central London office, Wylie explained how a recent switch to both digital printing and digital cameras had made him more productive and more profitable than ever before in his 15 year career.

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Published: Friday, September 30, 2005

Reader Comments

1. Better late than never.

   GARY POGODA at 05:47pm on Thursday, September 29, 2005

2. I agree, the only surprising thing is how long it took. And I agree with the concept that digital doesn't replace past looks, it adds a rich new look to the ever expanding world of photography. I look forward to seeing more of his work.

   Barbara at 06:36pm on Thursday, September 29, 2005

3. One thing that surprised me was his exuberance over the "flat look"
   of small sensor digital cameras. It is sort of like getting excited over
   the uniform coloring of microwaved food.

   GARY POGODA at 07:47pm on Thursday, September 29, 2005

4. Gary, I think it suits Donovan's way of working - he's as interested in the background/surroundings as the main subject itself. He showed street portraits taken in Estonia, in which the background was not as out of focus as most photographers prefer (due to the small sensor of the C-8080). Donovan cited this as being an attractive quality for him, rather than a negative.

   Mark Goldstein at 08:04am on Friday, September 30, 2005

5. Nice blog.I like this.
   Nick
   http://www.yahoo.com

   Nick at 10:47am on Friday, September 30, 2005

6. Mark, thanks for the Donovan Wylie "background" info. My question
   is still this. Wasn't he able to achieve the same effect with film, albeit,
   not quite as easily?

   GARY POGODA at 06:38pm on Friday, September 30, 2005

7. I was excited to hear of Magnum professional, Donovan Wylie, using an Olympus C-8080, a camera that could very well define a digital rangefinder renaissance. It's not perfect, but comes close.
   
   I just posted a discussion of the C-8080 in contrast to the current crop of DSLR cameras at the new "Reviews and Guides" section of eBay:
   
   http://reviews.ebay.com/Olympus-C-8080-Rangefinder-Camera-vs-DSLR-Approach_W0QQugidZ10000000000004230
   
   I've worked for years in the "hybrid" mode of film and high-end scanning, while testing the tepid waters of DSLR cameras. The C-8080 was what made the full jump to digital truly exciting and worthwhile. Donovan Wylie's use of the C-8080 confirmed my opinion that pros will find a new world of photo creativity in digital cameras that are not necessarily a DSLR.

   Gary Todoroff at 08:29pm on Sunday, October 02, 2005

8. Do you find the C-8080's maximum ISO 400 restrictive, compared to
   the ISO 1600 maximum for a moderately priced dSLR, like the Nikon
   D50 or D70s, or the Canon Digital Rebel XT?

   GARY POGODA at 09:46pm on Sunday, October 02, 2005

9. I think Donovan has lost the plot. I remember him spending hours perfecting an image in his GCSE photography and I would say that he will never produce the tones using photoshop that he got using Ilford Gallerie. He should remember that the darkroom is only 1/2 the photograph. He got his best photographs by choosing his location. Donovan I hope you remember the Glen Road Gypsies?

   Bill Coulter at 10:13pm on Friday, November 23, 2007

10. Bill, it sounds like you have an inside track on this Donovan situation,
    but the 'Glen Road Gypsies' reference went WAY over my head.

    Gary's Parries at 06:21am on Saturday, November 24, 2007

11. Thanks for this photography article, very usefull !

    Iq at 10:55am on Thursday, January 10, 2008