Short Biography

Nels Israelson earned a BA in Communication Arts at Loyola Marymount University. While still an undergraduate, he began photographing local LA bands in his spare time, which led to shooting his first album cover for a major label while still in school. Album package commissions followed for artists such as The Red Hot Chili Peppers, James Brown, RATT, and Def Leppard.

In the 90’s Nels began to focus on creating film and television poster images, continually developing his work by combining extensive research with meticulous lighting and inventive staging techniques. He takes inspiration for his use of light from diverse influences including mid-20th century Hollywood portrait photographers, Renaissance painters, and the work of graphic novel / comics artists.

Statement

Ever since I first picked up a camera at the age of sixteen I’ve felt there’s far more to photography than meets the eye.

It is a visual medium, yet both the making and the viewing of images are communication processes that interconnect us on a variety of subtle levels.

This deeper participatory aspect fuels me and guides my process with every photograph I make: am I connecting with this subject? Are we hitting the emotional pitch of the particular story we’re telling?

Especially in portraiture, I believe attention to these elemental flows in the making of an image can illuminate subtler, richer aspects in the viewing.

This is when an image becomes more than effective– it becomes compelling, and even magical.
My work is essentially the deliberate pursuit of this magic.