Spear’s Review

People, eccentricity, the art world, fashion and parties are Dafydd Jones’ patch. Particularly parties. Once a favourite of media doyenne Tina Brown, Jones did time photographing hunt balls and debutante dances, and has been a contracted photographer for the world’s best and glossiest mags.

It’s hard not to be swept away by the quiet charm and gentle humour of this Welshman born in Doncaster. A whizz at darkroom printing (he used to get through 1,200 rolls of film a year), he now loves experimenting with digital images, and tells Spear’s his work has changed ‘quite a lot’.

With magazines and newspapers not commissioning much photography work any more, he focuses on printing books, and shooting private events such as weddings and christenings. ‘It’s always been difficult to be a photographer, so I know I have to adapt,’ he says. But his passion for party photography hasn’t died: ‘All parties are different, and I love photographing them, as they remain big markers on people’s lives.’