Celebrating Differences, Richness and Diversity

He went to get lost and ended up finding more than he had bargained for!

As a young boy of age 19, Jimmy Nelson trekked the length of Tibet on foot and with this, his journey to lands far off and cultures much forgotten, began. Accompanied with a small camera, Jimmy documented the people that he met. Little did he know that this would become not only his profession but his passion for the rest of his life.
Jimmy Nelson travels to the remotest regions of the world and documents vanishing indigenous people in their traditional settings and attire. For him, it is a very personal thing, it is his way of showing them his respect and love, of admiring them for their richness of tradition and heritage, and perhaps of asking the same for himself; respect and acceptability for who he his and what he believes in.

While there is not much that holds similar between Jimmy and his photography subjects, he is able to communicate and befriend them in a matter of a few hours. How it happens? Well, giving a very visual and candid demonstration of the exercise, Jimmy said that whenever he would come across an indigenous tribe, he would immediately surrender before them as if he were helpless and weak, and they, strong and powerful. Giving such a message of vulnerability would completely ease off the once-threatened and once assured of establishing their supremacy, they are quite approachable and warm. There's more to it though, you have to exalt and glorify them in a way that they feel elated and dignified, which, according to Jimmy, is how they actually should too, for they are the few guardians left of this rich, mysterious lifestyle. All this is done with the use of any words, as language is a barrier between them, but with his behaviour and actions, Jimmy is able to bridge that barrier quite effectively.

According to Jimmy, indigenous people have mostly been shown in very negative light, as people who are uncultured, wild, barbarians, cannibals, while may perhaps be the most peaceful clan inhabiting this world, for they live as one with nature, they are in contact with their tradition and heritage and with themselves, which gives them a certain serenity, purity and harmony. He continues to say that very rarely have these people been shown in a beautiful and dignified manner and his book, Before  They Pass Away, has compiled with the sole purpose, of showing these cultures in their true light, in a dignified, iconographic way.

Whenever Jimmy goes out to search these lost cultures, he discovers more about himself too. For him, it is all very personal, very interlinked. When he glorifies and celebrates them, he is making a connection stronger and greater than a visual art piece. For him, the journey towards the photograph is as important as the photograph itself, or maybe more. What he achieves in the process of accomplishing a photograph is more precious to him than any material gain. How he is able to turn spearheads pointing down at him to eager faces wanting to be photographed is a tale you can never grow bore of. The same people, who a while ago, considered him a threat, are in a short time, holding reflectors to assist him in his photography. It all sounds quite beautiful, bringing it all down to being human, to admiring each other despite differences, to respect differences and celebrating the common values that we all have as humans.

Jimmy's book, Before They Pass Away, has won him international acclaim but the journey has just begun. He is a photographer with a bigger, deeper mission though, or why else did he travel all the way back to the tribe he photographed to show them the published book. Noone has ever made such an effort but for him, it was only fair to not treat his subjects as mere subjects of an artwork but as humans, with emotions, feelings and curiosity, who may not have any understanding of his work but by him making an effort to share it with them, may form a closer, deeper, beautiful connection of understanding and friendship, above and beyond all differences that hold them (and us) apart!

(the article is based on a talk by Jimmy Nelson as one of the speakers at Beaconhouse SOT event in Lahore, Pakistan)

to know more, follow this link

http://www.ralphlauren.com/us/en/magazine/jimmy-nelson-interview