Looking for Light: Jane Bown

John Lennon, Margaret Thatcher and Queen Elizabeth II have shrunk to the size of an ordinary person. Their faces show lenience or sorrow – something immensely humane. No wonder, because on the other side of the camera is the English photographer Jane Bown. The photographer, born in 1925, made a long career at The Observer newspaper. Brown is known especially for her strong black and white portraits which give rhythm to the photographers life story throughout the film. The documentary, directed by Michael Whyte and Luke Dodd, gives the floor to Bown herself, her son, her journalist colleagues and the people she has photographed. When Jane Bown arrived, everybody felt safe. The camera was hanging in a woven basket on the arm of this tiny woman who had a bob cut. Brown did not try to surprise the person in order to reveal something from them but instead brought depth into the pictures through humanity. Already as a child, Jane Bown learned to adapt to different kind of environments and situations. She became an observer, an insightful photographer. "Every time I took photographs, I was happy", Bown states. Text: Mari Vaara / Translation: Anniina Hautakoski (DocPoint)