'Wonderland. The Joy of Analogue - Portraits 1955-1995'

Photography is made with light, through the medium of a camera, capturing the very essence of the photographer’s visual narrative before them.

It is a feast for the eyes, celebrating the wonderment of photography as an art from. It is also a timely reminder of the talent and skill photographers bring to their artistic interpretation for what they see, particularly when using an analogue camera.

The progression of camera technology over the decades has seen a transition from the early beginnings of daguerreotypes and calotypes, to various wet and dry plates, to roll film, 35mm and polaroid, to digital, with the mirrorless camera as the most recent addition to shooting with light. However, what makes this showcase so special is that these photographs are all shot pre-digital. 

Undeniably, it is the talent of the visual storyteller to decide who and what to shoot; with analogue camera film, you have the limitation of the format, meaning you’re never completely sure of the end results, even if it feels right artistically, until the film is processed.

These photographers, all specialists across a myriad of photographic styles, have captured the multifaceted lives of people across four decades with clarity, purpose and an innate interest in storytelling.

Unexpected, illuminating and rarely seen delights such as Dennis Morris’ portrait of musician Bob Marley, Duane Michals self-portrait, Eve Arnold’s timeless classic photo of Marilyn Monroe, Peruvian photographer Javier Silva Mienel’s extraordinary, surreal portrait of an Amazonian, and the beautifully haunting Three Communion Girls by Sebastião Salgado. As well as enigmatic and enduring fashion portraits by Sandra Lousada and circus performers by Peter Lavery. Portraits that challenge perceptions such as Joel Peter Witkin’s ‘Woman once a bird’, Michael Ormerod’s Child with Mask and Jane England’s pop culture provocateurs Jasper and Jordan.

With such luminous vision, this eclectic mix of photographers have created powerful and evocative portraits, marking a historic moment not to be missed.

Isabelle Doran, CEO, Association of Photographers