Nicholas Nixon, a master of contemporary photography, is known for his compelling portraits. His work captures human connection and explores the beauty within the ordinary.
His education. Nixon was born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1947. He studied American Literature at the University of Michigan and received an MFA in photography in New Mexico. He has been exploring photography since the 1970s.
His family and work. Nixon is known for emphatically composed images of young, old, ill, blind and dying people, but he is best known for documenting the life of his wife and her three sisters in The Brown Sisters. Begun in 1975, he photographed them every year for four decades. The work resonates so deeply because of the way it showcases change over time – a universal experience of human life.
Technique. Nixon uses an 8x10 view camera, sticking with it even when most photographers had moved on. You can tell from his images how much consideration he gives to lighting and composition. He also used black-and-white film for high detail and clarity.
Reflection on Nixon in my own work. The way Nixon focuses on all aspects of life, specifically age, makes me reflect on the subtleties of ageing and the human bond. I plan to incorporate this – photographing people at different ages to capture emotional resonance. His approach inspires me to keep my photos as authentic as possible, looking beyond the surface at someone who seems ordinary to tell a story within them.
In conclusion, through Nixon's images we see undeniably emotional and fascinating moments in human life from what at first glance look like mundane, ordinary scenes – something that has inspired me massively, and something I want to focus my entire project around.