A Small Voice: Conversations with photographers and filmmakers

280 - Jon McCormack

Episode Summary

Australian photographer, educator, conservationist and professional tech nerd Jon McCormack on his formative experience growing up in the outback, disovering a love of mathematics... nature... and photography, AI, how his ‘impossible to predict’ career in tech began, how his day job with Apple allows him to ‘live photography’ and his newly released photobook, Patterns: Art Of The Natural World.

Episode Notes

Jon McCormack is - as plainly stated on his Linked-In profile - a Photographer, Nerd, Educator and Conservationist

His photographic work is deeply informed by his upbringing in the stark, untamed landscapes of the Australian Outback, where early life among sheep and cattle fostered a profound respect for nature’s rhythms of resilience and fragility. Beginning as a teenager photographing quiet, often-overlooked moments in the bush, he developed a photographic voice rooted in patience, attention, and ecological empathy. Today, his images explore the intricate patterns and emotional textures of wild places, seeking to inspire both wonder and a sense of responsibility, and are widely published and used by global conservation organizations to advocate for the protection of fragile ecosystems.

In addition to photography Jon is also actively involved in conservation and social good organizations. He is a member of The Explorer’s Club, a founding board member of Sealegacy, co-founder of his non-profit in Kenya, The Kilgoris Project and a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.

Alongside his creative work, Jon has a day job as a tech nerd. He is Vice President of Camera & Photos Software Engineering at Apple in California, leading the software team responsible for the iPhone camera.

His new photobook entitiled Patterns: Art Of The Natural World, is published by Damiani and 100% of the proceeds will be donated to Vital Impacts, the non-profit founded in 2021 by photographer Ami Vitale and visual journalist Eileen Mignoni to advance conservation through visual storytelling, community partnership, and strategic investment in local solutions.

On episode 280, Jon discusses, among other things:

His formative experiences on a remote Australian farm and how that influenced the person he became
Discovering his love of mathematics… and of nature… and photography
How his ‘impossible to predict' career in tech began at a conference in Manchester, UK
How is current role with Apple allows him to ‘live photography’ for his day job
A couple of major technical advances in mobile phone photography
His thoughts on the impact and implications of AI
His new book, Patterns, and how it came from his experience of shooting during Covid
The challenge of trying to resolve the tension between his environmentalism and working in the tech industry
His close connection to Vital Impacts, to whom he is donating 100% of the proceeds from the book
His level of optimism vs. pessimism re. the chances of environmental armageddon

Referenced:

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