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Zed NelsonEnglish photographer
Country:
 Great Britain |
Content:
Biography of Zed Nelson
Born and raised in London, England, Zed Nelson is an English photographer best known for his thought-provoking photo projects that challenge the fundamental values and priorities of Western society and showcase their impact on the rest of the world.
Early Life and Education
From a young age, Zed developed a passion for photography. As a talented artist, he always preferred the medium of photography for its incredible ability to capture a moment and immortalize it in the memory of others. Zed took photography lessons in high school and attended classes on the theory of photographic art. After completing his school education, he pursued further studies in photography at a college in England.
Throughout his life, Zed had a special interest in photojournalism. After graduating from college, he worked for a period of time at London newspapers. However, he soon realized that city life felt too mundane for him and decided to combine his passion for photography with his love for travel. He quickly found a suitable job: capturing images in hotspots around the world and exotic countries – the very profession he had dreamed of. For several years, Zed traveled extensively. According to him, all his adventures had a specific purpose – to make the lives of the people he photographed a little better.
Photography Projects
During his travels, Zed observed that even in the most remote regions of the world, there were traces of Western society's realities. Whether it was clothing, beauty ideals, or dreams of a better life, they were all somehow connected to the ideals promoted by the United States, which by the 21st century had become a dictator of the "right" way of life worldwide. Inspired by this, Zed began working on his projects, aiming to reconsider the Western way of life from within and examine in detail the ideals that are now embraced worldwide.
His first series, titled "Gun Nation," drew attention to the unhealthy obsession of ordinary Americans with collecting firearms. Starting from innocent desires to protect their homes and families, this fascination had escalated beyond reason: firearms training courses for children, permits for automatic rifles, and much more. The central work of the series featured a supermarket trolley overflowing not with groceries but with rifles and other weapons. This photograph was used as the cover image for the book "Gun Nation," which compiled all the works from this series.
Equally fascinating was Zed's second project, called "Love Me." It is no secret that beauty standards change over time, and in modern society, not only fashion designers and Hollywood stars but also ordinary American women have the ability to influence others by setting an example through their appearance. Zed spent over 5 years creating this project, capturing images in more than 20 countries across all five continents. The series "Love Me" was published as a book and quickly gained popularity in Europe, receiving prestigious photography awards such as the 2011 Deutsche Borse Photography Prize, Leica European Publishers Award for Photography, and the 2010 Pictures of the Year International award.
Awards and Current Life
Throughout his career, Zed has received numerous accolades. Among his notable achievements are first place in the renowned World Press Photo Competition and the Alfred Eisenstaedt Award. His latest work consists of a series of portraits of his friends, which he took on the same day over a period of 20 years. It all began with a bold experiment – a nude photograph featuring his best friend and his wife when she was nine months pregnant. From August 1991 onwards, Zed captured photographs on the same day each year, unaware that they would one day be exhibited. Zed himself admitted that each year, the photographs were so different that one image alone could depict the changing dynamics within the family and any significant events that had occurred.
Currently, Zed Nelson resides in London, continuing to pursue his passion while also teaching the art of photography at universities and colleges in England.
