Interview with Jonathan Bourla | MONOVISIONS - Black & White Photography Magazine

MonoVisions Black & White Photo Contest 2025

How and when did you become interested in photography?

I became interested in photography in my teenage years, intrigued by my elder brother Michael’s photographic hobby. I joined a local camera club in North West London, and produced 35mm colour slides. I remember feeling in awe of the small number of people at the club who did their own darkroom printing. When I was eighteen, I think, I was very lucky to spend a week with a young photographer couple living in Edinburgh, Scotland, and was introduced to different darkroom processes. It was a wonderful experience. They were very kind, generous, and enthusiastic – I had a great time. But it would be some ten years before I constructed my own darkroom, a rather temporary structure with lots of black plastic sheeting at the end of my garage in New Zealand, where I had emmigrated to the previous year. This began my “serious” journey into fine art photography.

Is there any artist/photographer who inspired your art?

I have been particularly inspired by American photographer Howard Bond. I travelled to America in 1997 to attend one of Howard’s workshops and was just overwhelmed by how awesome his photographs were. Similar photographers who have inspired me have been Ansel Adams and John Sexton, together with British photographer Fay Godwin, and also Ellen Auerbach’s wonderful photographs full of details and textures. In recent times I have been inspired by Cole Thompson. His photographs are amazing and he has been really kind in an exchange of emails in giving me confidence in my artistic vision, and I’m really grateful to Cole for that.

Why do you work in black and white rather than colour?

I love black and white. I love how it creates the opportunity for me to artistically interpret the subjects I photograph, and in particular to emphasise the details and textural qualities I love and am drawn to.

How much preparation do you put into taking a photograph/series of photographs?

This has really changed. When my large format view camera was my primary means of capturing my photographic exposures everything was slower and more methodical. I would visit the scene several times beforehand. My intention would be to do this without my camera to get a feel for the location and lighting before going with my heavy backpack and tripod, but I would usually take it with me on these reconaissance trips just in case! So preparation was key. But in the last year I have started using two small digital cameras which wouldn’t have been possible before as I had tremors in my hands which thankfully have now gone – the tremors, not the hands! So I am finding this new found freedom and spontaneity really liberating. Recently I visited an historic heritage house here in New Zealand. Years ago I had been there but with my big camera mindset the practicalities put me off and I left without a single exposure. But this time, with one of my small handheld digital cameras, I was overwhelmed, seeing potential photographic subjects almost everywhere, all around, and it was a fantastic experience. Whilst I love the actual photographing process, it is the dodging and burning in my digital darkroom of Photoshop that I love the most. I remember watching Howard Bond demonstrating these techniques in his darkroom and I was mesmerised, he was just amazing. He had a very strong musical background, as it seems do quite a few master photographers, and his great sense of timing in dodging and burning his prints was wonderful to see.

Where is your photography going? What projects would you like to accomplish?

My photography has come on leaps and bounds since September last year (2022), mirroring the improvement in my health following finding a wonderful holistic doctor Olivier who has finally put me on the path to beating my more than thirty year battle with Depression. After my portfolio series on Highwic, the historic house I just mentioned, I am hoping to do a whole series on eight other historic New Zealand properties. I am going to apply for an arts grant to enable me to do this, and will keep my fingers and toes crossed my application will be successful.
The photographs you see here are all taken at Martins Bay, which is only ten minutes drive from my home. My wife Julie and I take our two dogs for a walk there most days and Martins Bay has been a huge source of inspiration for my photography in the last year, and I think will continue to do so. I love the rocks and Pohutukawa trees there, and think we’re so lucky to live so close to such beauty.

Website: https://www.jonathanbourla.co.nz