Tony Ray Jones was a British photographer known for his humorous documentation of everyday life in England in the 1960s-1970s. He believed photographs should "bite like images in Bunuel's films" by disturbing the viewer while making them think. In his diary, Jones left notes with strict rules for improving his photographs, such as being aggressive, getting close to subjects, and ensuring all background elements relate to the subject matter. These rules influenced later street photographers like Martin Parr. Jones' legacy demonstrates how eccentric everyday behaviors can be portrayed comedically through intentional composition.

1. " D O N O T TA K E B O R I N G
P H O T O G R A P H S " .
N OT E S F R O M TO N Y R AY J O N E S D I A RY
Related Study by William Xiang

2. ‘I want my pictures to bite like the images in
Bunuel’s films which disturb you while making
you think. I want them to have poignancy and
sharpness but with humour on top.’
Tony Ray-Jones

3. INTRODUCTION
• In this related study I will investigate the work of Tony Ray Jones and explore the legacy of his work. Found in his diary, there
was a page titled ‘Approach.’ On this page was a hand written notes, by Jones, where he gave himself strict rules to improve his
photograph. In this related study I will look at these photographic techniques and seeing how other photographers share
similar techniques.
• Tony Ray Jones work was a huge influence on many street photographer including Martin Parr, most notably his book The Day
Off. Jones had a very specific compositional style when documenting the streets. He had an ability to capture moments in
everyday life to create fascinating photographs. It is these kinds of photography which capture the human experience and is
inspiring to me.
• The rules he have set up will help me to make better photos for example the rule ‘ be more aggressive’ teach me to be brave
can help with the quality of the photos.

4. WHO IS TONY RAY JONES?
• Tony Ray Jones is a little known British photographer who had a huge influence on the world of Photography. His photographs
are mostly black And white, although he has a series of colour photographs taken in America. His photographs capture a
humorous look at British culture. Jones travelled across England in the 1960’s documenting Brits on holiday and local
communities.
• In1972 Tony Ray-Jones was told that he had a rare form of leukaemia, he died a month later. He was thirty years old. His
photographic career spanned one decade. However, his body of work defined a new way of looking at his own society which
was described by Martin Parr as having “irony, nostalgia, compassion and humour.” These are all good qualities to which make
a good photograph, and would inspire Parr himself. He was prolific in his short 10 years, and his point of view exerted an
enormous influence on the development of British documentary art photography from the 1970s through the present.

5. ‘I have seen him quoted as being influenced by Vigo, Bunuel and Fellini but it should also be
remembered that he loved the films of the Marx Brothers and Jacques Tati. I went with him to see
Mon Oncle and he was in hysterics in some parts of it. The scene on board ship in A Night at the
Opera where the small cabin is bursting at the seams with people and Groucho invites yet another
character to come on in and walk around was one of his favourite sequences. Chaplin, too, interested
him very much. When he was sharing a flat near Baker Street he had a very erratic projector but used
to run a Chaplin film just to point out the composition of the shots.’
David Burch
His photographs are documentary, almost anthropological look at humans. Jones has made keen observations
on contemporary British society. Jones stated that his aim as a photographer was to capture the specific
British aura, the nostalgic potential and surreal humour in ordinary situations.
Comedy and humour were an important aspect of his work. As can be seen from the quote below by David
Burch, a fellow student with Jones at art school.
Dinner Party, 1962
Directed by Bunuel
Tony Ray Jones, 1967
COMEDY / SURREAL INSPIRATION

6. A Night At The Opera: Crowded Cabin Scene
Tony Ray Jones work has been effect from this opera, from his
work we can see Jones put every in his work the most of photo
he produce included lot things, he find it create the interest
photos.
COMEDY / SURREAL INSPIRATION

7. A DAY OFF
BOOK PUBLISHED IN 1974
A day of 1974 is the
series of the photo
made by Tony Ray
Jones, the series is
about the leisure time
for British people. He
was photographing the
thing British people will
do ‘ The English Way Of
Life’ this series of the
photo is other type of
the history has been
record by Tony Ray
Jones, it is a great
achievement made by
someone and the huge
event happened in the
world, it is the things
people do in that
period of history for
English.

8. A DAY OFF
MARGATE, 1968
His photographs were quite cinematic. Here he shares similarities
with Doisneau’s The Kiss.
In the photo include 7 people. Jones composes the frame so each
person has their own place within the frame
At the centre of the frame are the young lovers. Surrounding them
are the old style gentlemen and lady. This make the photo more
humorous than the pure romance of Doisneau’s kiss. Very funny
and British.
Robert Doisneau, This Kiss, 1950 Leisure time for the English people in 1968.

9. His compositions often appear cluttered: in Ramsgate 1968
1. girl and a dog walk down to the beach
2. a husband and wife turn to watch;
3. children play in front of a shop in the distance.
4. A child pushing the baby carriage
In his photo has 4 part and every part can make a single photo and l have list
all the different part out.
1
2
A DAY OFF
RAMSGATE, 1968
3
4
Jones’ photographs can be seen as a theatrical scene with the
subjects playing a part in a fictional narrative. His compositions
feature multiple people, who are not related in the real word.
However, in his compositions he turns everyday people into
a fictional characters with story.

10. ONLY IN ENGLAND
EXHIBITION 2014
• This was and exhibition curated by Martin Parr in 2014
• The exhibition was traveling around the different museum.
• The exhibition is about the ‘English way of life’ which made by
Toney Ray Jones
• All the photos record what English people doing in their own
time. And it only happen in the England in 1975-1979

11. MARTIN PARR WAS
INSPIRED BY TONY RAY JONES
Jones was a huge influence on one of the most
famous British photographers, Martin Parr
The influence Jones had on Parr if obvious. A
day off and The Non-Conformists are both
documentary to the leisure time for English
people. The location for the photo are both
around the beach, it record the behaviours of
the English people on the beach and the style
of the photo are similar, the photo seem really
busy.

12. Martin Parr (born in 23 may 1952) is the photographer, his was working on the documentary of the ‘way of the Life’. First time
look at his work, it seem exaggerated or even grotesque. The motifs he chooses are strange, the colours are garish and the
perspectives are unusual.
• Why was Tony Ray Jones important to Martin Parrr
Martin Parr has inspired by Toney Ray Jones, Jones give Martin Parr the idea of his work should to be. Martin Parr has continue the
work Tony Ray Jones have not finish,
MARTIN PARR WAS
INSPIRED BY TONY RAY JONES

13. HOW TONY RAY JONES
INSPIRED MARTIN PARR
TONY RAY JONES
A DAY OFF
MARTIN PARR
THE LAST RESORT
Martin Parr is the photographer who is doing
the exaggerated or even grotesque photos
and he inspired Tony Ray Jones. His work is
documentary the what British people doing in
the leisure time and Martin Parr took lot
photos on the beach just like Tony Ray Jones.

14. TONY RAY JONES LEGACY
• This paper note is the legacy, Tony Ray Jones has left
for us, it is the rules set up by Tony Ray Jones. On the
note had do and not do when taking the photos. It is
helpful for other photographer to learn how to take the
photos.
• I will now look to other street photographers who
share the same vision in their work

15. THE TONY RAY
JONES
APPROACH
- Be more aggressive
- Get more involved
- Stay with the subject matter
- Take simpler pictures
- See if everything in background
relates to subject matter
- Very compositions of angle
more.
- Be more aware of
compositions
- Don’t take boring picture
- Get in close
- Watch camera shake
- Don’t shoot too much
- Not all eye level
- No middle distance

16. BE MORE
AGGRESSIVE
After Gary Winogrand took
this photos the people in the
photo might be anger,y it will
put photographer in the
danger. So all about this rule
is about the to be more
brave. Do not fear to take
the photo. It will make the
photographer to improve
photos they take. It will give
you more chance to take the
good photo, even is you
might make yourself feel
uncomfortable
Garry Winogrand
New York, 1969. Photograph: The Estate of
Garry Winogrand/Courtesy Fraenkel Gallery,
San Francisco

17. GET MORE
INVOLVED
(TALK TO
PEOPLE)
Martin Parr would have to
have spoken with the lady in
the photograph. By speaking
with people, this could make
people feel more at ease/
People may not put the
attention on the camera,
then photographer can take
the photographs close up and
easily.
Martin Parr,Weymouth
(2000), England

18. STAY WITH
THE SUBJECT
MATTER
Elliott Erwitt photographed
this series of photos as the
subject tried to pack down
an umbrella.The umbrella
was broken and they had to
carry it home erect, making
for a funny situation. By
Erwitt sticking with the
subject, he followed the
person who took the large
umbrella. Staying with the
subject matter all the way
makes the story.
Elliott Erwitt

19. TAKE SIMPLER
PICTURES
This photo took by Narelle
Autio.This is the simpler
photo, in the photo only
include the building, sky and
people head. But those things
make the photo interesting,
the colour of the building
and people head make
people put attention on the
photo.
By breaking the frame into
different sections and using it
to frame the mans head and
the bottom of the frame
works well.

20. S E E I F
E V E RY T H I N G I N
B AC K G RO U N D
R E L AT E S TO
S U B J E C T M AT T E R
Those photo took by Nils
Jorgensen, the background
for those photos were
picture of peoples face.
These are all commuters on
a busy train.The faces on the
posters make the photo
interesting. For this rules the
connection for the photo,
and the background relate to
the subject will improve the
overall composition.
By Nils Jorgensen

21. VERY
COMPOSITIONS
OF ANGLE
MORE.
Gus Powell
b. NewYork, city 1974, lives in
Brooklyn, NewYork
This is photo took by Gus
Powell, he use the unique
angle to take this photos and
perfect relate to this rules,
we can see low down angle
for this this photo makes
every one in the photo meet
the different direction.When
we looking in to this photos
we can find more interesting
things, like the hammer is
going hit the person on the
bottom.

22. GET IN CLOSE
‘If your picture atrent good
enough, you’re not close
enough’
Robert Cappa
This photo take by Mimi
Mollica.This closer you get
to the subject the more
connection your have with
the subject in the
photograph.This allows the
photographer to catch the
emotion on the people.
Mimi Mollica

23. CONCLUSION
HIS LEGACY
The related study is about the legacy of Tony Ray Jones and looking to the rules set by Tony ray Jones to himself. These rules can be
associated with lots of good photographs taken by the great photographs after Jones had died. We can all learn from them to learn the
how to make great photo.
Jones photographs are very well composed. Each photographs tell many stories, Many events has been put in to each photo, as they are
well so well aligned. In my own photography often don’t get close enough because I am aware that I’m photographing strangers. The
following rules; get in close; be more aggressive and no middle distance; are important when wanting to improve your photographs and
were most helpful for me. In the future I will use Jones’ rules to be more brave and get closer to people.
CELEBRATING ECCENTRIC BEHAVIOUR
Jones work is humorous, as can be seen by his love for comedy, specifically ‘A Night At The Opera: Crowded Cabin Scene’. Jones
Photography captures the human experience, which can be absurd, silly and eccentric. Specifically Jones is able to capture the sometimes
eccentric behaviours made by English people.
Eccentric people are unusual to the photographer, they have funny behaviours to make the photo interesting, they also show the different
side of the society for photographer to record. We think psychotic people are crazy, on other hand psychotic people think we are crazy,
every thing is depend on what people thinking. Photographers like Jones have to be little eccentric. They must be able to see the world
differently. The people in Jones’ work are normal people doing normal things, but Jones captures them to make them look strange.
Most of notions in photography only interchange between artist and photographer, the people in photographs become characters in an
scene created by the Photographer.
Jones’ photography can be described as eccentric. He records the strange behaviours, it look like a comedy. His work isn’t simply
documentary. He is a director, people in his photo like the actor, they work together to create great comedy, but in real world they have
no relate to each other. This is the magic of Tony Ray Jones, and his gift to photography

24. Bibliography
- A DAY Off. Published in 1974
- Tony Ray JonesVideo
www.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DxV817fJgd28&
usg=AOvVaw0Jn24QCZ5hsYcmulc5TpgU
- https://www.martinparr.com/introduction/
- https://fraenkelgallery.com/artists/garry-winogrand
- http://www.elliotterwitt.com/
- http://www.stillsgallery.com.au/artists/autio/
- https://www.nilsjorgensen.com/gallery
- http://www.guspowell.com/
- http://www.mimimollica.com/
- A Night At The Opera: Crowded Cabin Scene
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZvugebaT6Q