Jimmy Nelson Research Paper

Since a young age, Jimmy Nelson travelled enormously. His parents moved all over the world due to their job and Nelson was sent off to boarding school. Every time he visited his parents, he travelled to a different part of the world. He loved being this nomadic and found it all very exciting. In a way it pushed him off at a great speed to become somebody, become that individual. At the age of sixteen, Nelson suffered from cerebral malaria. Unfortunately because of the wrong medication he permanently lost all his hair, which changed the way people started to treat him. This new way of being looked at brought him to a point when he stood there and looked around with the thoughts: Where do I belong? Where do I fit? What am I? Where am I from?

What he found were people that belonged to themselves, happy for who and where they are. It inspired him and lead to the start of his real journey. For two years, Nelson carried his 4x5 technical camera to capture 35 different and unique tribes all over the world. From the windy mountain ranges of South America to island hopping in the South West Pacific Ocean to his own backyard at the West Frisian Islands in The Netherlands, watching scarcely known tribes and their traditions fade from existence. Marcel Boekhoorn, whom Nelson went to see for sponsorship mentioned: “Jimmy’s passion was irresistible. I remember he had tears in his eyes when he explained his project to me. I witnessed first hand their commitment and was deeply impressed by their genuine passion for this project.” (Boekhoorn, 2015) The purpose of this visual quest, published in his book: Before They Pass Away, was for Nelson a way to show his respect for the people he worked