Jon Levy (born 1967) is a British

photojournalist Photojournalism is journalism that uses images to tell a news story. It usually only refers to still images, but can also refer to video used in broadcast journalism. Photojournalism is distinguished from other close branches of photography (such ...

. He was the founder and director of Foto8. Foto8 was a British-based photography company responsible for the publication of ''8 Magazine,'' the Biannual of Photography, as well as its sister website Foto8.com and the Host gallery in London.

Biography

Levy was born in London in 1967. He studied Economics at Manchester University from 1985 to 1988. He then attended the International Center of Photography in New York City. completing the one-year certificate program in Documentary Photography and

photojournalism Photojournalism is journalism that uses images to tell a news story. It usually only refers to still images, but can also refer to video used in broadcast journalism. Photojournalism is distinguished from other close branches of photography (such ...

. Following graduation, Levy became a freelance news photographer in New York City. He worked frequently for ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' in London along with their U.S. correspondent Daniel Jeffreys. Levy also freelanced for the

photo agency Stock photography is the supply of photographs which are often licensed for specific uses. The stock photo industry, which began to gain hold in the 1920s, has established models including traditional macrostock photography, midstock photography, ...

Gamma Liaison under editor Marion Mertens. Later Levy joined the French wire service Agence France Presse in the New York Bureau working, with photographers Don Emmert and Timothy Clary. In 1998 Levy returned to London and soon started Foto8. Levy and Gordon Miller also launched ''8 Magazine'' (known previously as ''ei8ht''), a quarterly publication of photojournalism. The issues of the ''8 Magazine'' were very much like the website on which it was based. The magazine published new works by independent photographers covering current affairs and personal photo stories. The

photo editor Microsoft Photo Editor is a raster graphics editor component of Microsoft Office first included with Microsoft Office 97. It features editing tools to texturize, create negatives, adjust gamma, and add transparency to GIF images. It was replaced in ...

Lauren Heinz and text editor Max Houghton were in charge of the magazine editorial content. In 2006 Levy moved Foto8 to new premises in Honduras Street, in East London. He also founded Host Gallery there to further explore the publishing, exhibition and presentation of photographic projects. Host maintained a program of shows, talks, screenings and other events, including the annual

street party A block party or street party is a party in which many members of a single community congregate, either to observe an event of some importance or simply for mutual solidarity and enjoyment. The name comes from the form of the party, which ofte ...

launch of the Foto8 Summer Show. In 2009 Foto8 released its first book: ''Maurice Broomfield, Photographs'', examining

Maurice Broomfield Maurice William Broomfield (2 February 1916 – 4 October 2010) was an English photographer whose images of post-war British industry were credited with capturing the optimistic spirit of the time. Life and work Born in Draycott, Derbyshir ...

's archive of industrial photography from the 1950s. That same year, Levy served as a guest

curator A curator (from la, cura, meaning "to take care") is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the parti ...

at the annual

New York Photo Festival The New York Photo Festival was founded in January 2007 by Frank Evers and Daniel Power in an effort to establish a U.S. photo festival dedicated to the "future of contemporary photography" and to the exposure of new works. It takes place every ...

with the ''Home for Good'' exhibition. In 2010, Levy completed ''Rise,'' a six-month, eight-photographer commission and book for the Legatum Foundation, and ''Taking Land,'' a book with Alban Kakulya for the Zoï Environment Network. In November 2012, Foto8 and Host Gallery ceased trading. Levy speaks at events about the role of photojournalism in society and the future of it as a tool of social communication.

Publication edited by Levy

*''Rise: Images of Life Change.'' Edited by Levy. Dubai: The Legatum Foundation; Foto8, 2010. . With text by Max Houghton and photographs by Carmen Elsa Lopez, William Daniels, Robin Hammond,

Abbie Trayler-Smith Abbie Trayler-Smith is a Welsh documentary and portrait photographer who contributed to ''The Daily Telegraph'' for eight years from 1998, covering the war in Iraq and the Asian tsunami. In 2010, with her portrait ''Chelsea'', she won fourth pri ...

Venetia Dearden Venetia Dearden (born 1975) is a British photographer and filmmaker. Her books include ''Somerset Stories, Fivepenny Dreams'' (2008), ''Glastonbury, Another Stage'' (2010), ''Mulberry 40 Years'' (2011) and ''Eight Days'' (2012). Dearden had a sol ...

, Sanjit Das, Atul Loke, and Kate Shortt.

References

External links

Foto8 website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Levy, Jon Living people 1967 births Photographers from London