Born in Sevenoaks, Kent, England
Jimmy Nelson started working as a photographer in 1987.
Having spent 10 years at a Jesuit boarding school in the North of
England, he set off on his own to traverse the length of Tibet on foot.
The journey lasted a year and upon his return his unique visual diary,
featuring revealing images of a previously inaccessible Tibet, was
published to wide international acclaim.
Soon after, he was commissioned to cover a variety of culturally
newsworthy themes, ranging from the Russian involvement in Afghanistan
and the ongoing strife between India and Pakistan in Kashmir to the
beginning of the war in former Yugoslavia.
In early 1994 he and his Dutch wife produced Literary Portraits of
China, a 30 month project that brought them to all the hidden corners of
the newly opening People’s Republic. Upon its completion the images
were exhibited in the People’s Palace on Tiananmen Square, Beijing, and
then followed by a worldwide tour.
From 1997 onwards Jimmy began to successfully undertake commercial
advertising assignments for many of the world’s leading brands. At the
same time he started accumulating images of remote and unique cultures
photographed with a traditional 50-year-old plate camera. Many awards
followed. When he started to successfully and internationally exhibit
and sell these images, this created the subsequent momentum and
enthusiasm for the initiation of Before they Pass Away.