The Ease Of Certainty

Mark Power speaks to Tanvi Dhulia about his ability to make silent wonders of seemingly insignificant moments.

Perhaps the most discouraging experience for anyone deeply passionate about their craft is to grow disillusioned with their practice. When Mark Power’s spirit was dealt a blow after two years of working for the British media, he and his wife Jo simply packed their bags and drove to Spain in a canary yellow campervan. Equipped with a Leica M2, a single lens, and a bag full of black-and-white film, Power intended to breathe life back into his love for photography.

A Winding Road

“In the 1980s and early ‘90s the kind of photography that I was doing wasn’t taken very seriously outside the news space,” he says. At the time it was difficult to exhibit one’s work if they were also getting published in the newspaper. Moreover, he was beginning to feel like he was stuck in a rut. Upon introspection he realised that his work wasn’t coming “from the heart” anymore. And so he drove, chasing the warm splendour of the Spanish sun.

He went there with an open mind, and as weeks turned to months, the joy of his practice began to be restored. In 1992, soon after his return to the British isles, he took up a teaching post in photography at the University of Brighton. Years down the line, he was granted membership to Magnum Photos.

A Lasting Impression