Air of Badass

The dividing line between art photography and fashion photography was long viewed as critical and vital to protect ‘serious’ photography from fear and loathing in fashion. Yet, prematurely, major American photographers such as Clifford Coffin, Edward Steichen, Irving Penn and Richard Avedon, to name a few, spent years in Europe working for international fashion magazines composing images that dramatized the transient quality of costume and glamour while producing photographs of eternal beauty and gorgeous aesthetic. The visual inventiveness of Jamie Nelson reminds me of just that, transforming fashion photography into images of quality.

She navigates the delicate balance between witty art and whimsy fashion photography in her excitingly new bold concept of black, white and red photographs representing an incredible range of styles and techniques from Man Ray style scenarios to William Klein’s elegant chic and cool to Peter Gee’s silk screens of the 60s British mod-ness.

I have followed Jamie’s work for some time now and her real badass style and popular culture themes has blossomed from coquetry into a love affair with art photography. Her work transcends fashion and her style is an inspiration to all artists. But most of all what I love about Jamie is that we share a common love, fast American muscle cars! Be an empty observer as you watch her images glide and unfold in front of your sparkly eyes.

Jamie was born in a cabin in a small town in Texas and subsequently raised in Colorado Springs, Colorado. When she discovered her passion for photography at the age of 17, she moved to California to attend Brooks Institute of Photography. After graduating, she moved to New York  City to pursue her career in fashion and beauty photography.

Nelson’s work can be seen in over a dozen international editions of Vogue, Allure, ELLE , Harper’s Bazaar, Glamour, L’Officiel, Cosmopolitan, Tush, Lula, and Vanity Fair to name a few. She has participated in Art Exhibits at the New Museum in New York City as well  as the Corpricudi Exhibit in Rome, Italy. Her commercial collaborations include campaigns with Maybelline, Revlon, Urban Decay, Benefit Cosmetics, Make Up For Ever, Target, and Forever 21;  with celebrity clients including The Walking Dead’s Danai Gurira, Leslie Bibb, Solange Knowles, and all of the Sheezus Album artwork for Lily Allen.

Nelson is currently based in New York City and travels to Los Angeles, London, Paris, Germany, and Dubai where she is internationally represented.

For more of Jamie’s work: https://darb44.com/album/jamie-nelson/