Nadav Kander

Date
22 March 2011

Nadav Kander thinks that “Popular imagery airbrushes the shadow from our lives”, and regardless of who, what or where he is capturing with his educated lens, you know the results are going to be stunning. An avid music fan, and having seen one of his photographs reach worldwide fame on the front of Take That’s latest release, we thought it was high-time we spoke to the man himself about his practice, but also what makes him tick musically. Read on for some acute insight from the man himself…

Hi Nadav, there seems to be an incredible depth to your portfolio – covering landscapes, portraits, personal projects and commissioned work – do you think its benefited you from not having a specialism in what you shoot?

It certainly has benefited me having very varied subject matter in my work, but it has never been a conscious decision to do so. Whether I photograph a nude man or a landscape there is a consistent feeling to my work. Popular imagery airbrushes the shadow from our lives, I try to draw you in by photographing beautifully, what we hide from.

You seem to be shooting more and more music work – most recently for the Take That album, are you a big music fan?

When I was a kid we would hang out at each others houses and play records, and if someone had an impressive collection it would take up about 6 foot of space – a massive collection would be 2 sofas long and have taken 5 years at least to lovingly collect. It was in the days before music was churned out quickly for an insatiable public thirst. Nowadays most people would have twice this amount on an iPod. I loved savouring what I had and discovering every little nuance the vinyl had to offer. So yes I love music.

With a job with such a huge distribution like the Take That cover, how does it feel knowing your photography will be reaching such a colossal audience? Does your process change at all?

No not at all. Music offers me more creative freedom as most people standing in the room understand that music and photography can both be felt and that the atmosphere in a picture is all important. So in a way I feel more myself and can just get on with it instead of always having to try explain the unexplainable.

You’ve taken photos of some of the mot recognised figures in the world, from President Obama to Brad Pitt – who’s on your wish-list to shoot next?

I’ve never really been able to photograph both my parents in a memorable way. A way that will be with me after they are not.

You have some moving image work in your portfolio, is it something you’re looking to do more of? Are music videos of interest?

Yes. I think I’d love the end results if it can be a continuation of my stills.

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About the Author

Alex Bec

Alex joined as director in 2008 and oversees the commercial side of The HudsonBec Group which includes It's Nice That, Anyways, Lecture in Progress and If You Could Jobs. Contact him to discuss working with us on sponsored content, commercial partnerships, media partnerships and commissioning work.

alex@thehudsonbecgroup.com

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