099 - Zed Nelson
Zed Nelson lives in London, where he grew up, and his work has been published and exhibited worldwide. Having gained recognition and major awards as a documentary photographer working in some of the most troubled areas of the world, Zed has increasingly turned his focus to Western society, adopting an increasingly conceptual approach to reflect on contemporary social issues.
Gun Nation, a disturbing reflection on America’s deadly love affair with the gun, was Zed’s seminal first book. The project has been awarded five major international photography prizes and is regarded by many as the definitive body of work on the subject.
Love Me, Zed’s more recently published second book, reflects on the cultural and commercial forces that drive a global obsession with youth and beauty. The project explores how a new form of globalization is taking place, where an increasingly narrow Western beauty ideal is being exported around the world like a crude universal brand. The project spans five years, and involved photography in 18 countries across five continents. Love Me was nominated for the 2011 Deutsche Borse Photography Prize, short-listed for the Leica European Publishers Award for Photography, and received First Prize in the 2010 Pictures of the Year International awards. Previous awards include the Visa d’Or, France; first prize in World Press Photo Competition; and the Alfred Eisenstaedt Award, USA.
Zed’s work has been exhibited at Tate Britain, the ICA and the National Portrait Gallery, and is in the permanent collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum and he has had solo shows in London, Stockholm and New York.
In episode 099, Zed discusses, among other things:
Why he’s keeping shtum about his current project
Getting the balance right
In This Land, his journey to Israel and Palestine and why plans for a book went pear-shaped
Shooting video
“I tried, and have continued to try, to find a way that photography produces enough money to live and do projects and then I’ve always just used the money for personal work... long-term projects I believe in and want to do.”
This episode of the podcast is sponsored by the Charcoal Book Club - the latest and greatest photobooks, expertly curated and delivered to you door with free shipping and no hassles.
INFORM THE MIND, INSPIRE THE SOUL
This episode of the podcast is sponsored by Findr - a two sided marketplace for imaging professionals, providing direct access to thousands of experienced, professional photographers on a single platform.
Completely FREE for photographers to join.
IF YOU NEED A PHOTOGRAPHER, IF YOU ARE A PHOTOGRAPHER, IF YOU REPRESENT PHOTOGRAPHERS OR PROVIDE PHOTOGRAPHY SERVICES - FINDR CAN HELP
To access this episode and all other archived episodes sign up as a A Small Voice member here!
Tier 1 membership: complete archive of past episodes + exclusive subscriber-only content @ £5.00 per month.
Tier 2 membership: complete archive of past episodes @ £3.00 per month.
