A Photographic Life - 108: Plus Jason Bell

In episode 108 UNP founder and curator Grant Scott is in his shed considering the photographic response to isolation, the importance of the client relationship and the reality of commissioned photography. Plus this week photographer Jason Bell takes on the challenge of supplying Grant with an audio file no longer than 5 minutes in length in which he answer’s the question ‘What Does Photography Mean to You?’ Jason Bell was born in Camden, London, in 1969 and was given his first camera at the age of 5. He decided on a career as a portrait photographer whilst studying Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Oxford University, from which he graduated in 1990. His work has since appeared in publications including Vanity Fair and Vogue, featuring celebrities such as Angelina Jolie, Leonardo DiCaprio, Scarlett Johansson, Johnny Depp, Nicole Kidman, Tilda Swinton, Eddie Redmayne, and Kate Winslet. Jason has shot numerous film, theatre and TV campaigns, including Netflix’s The Crown, Billy Elliot, About A Boy and Love Actually. Many of his photographs have been acquired by the National Portrait Gallery for their permanent collection and his work has received critical acclaim including the Royal Photographic Society’s Terence Donovan Award for an outstanding contribution to photography, the New York Photo Awards’ Best Advertising Image and the Best British Black & White Photographer at the British Picture Editors’ Awards. His Out 100 Portfolio was one of five finalists in the American Society of Magazine Editors’ 2010 National Magazine Awards. He has published four books of his work, the most recent being An Englishman in New York. A selection of photographs from the book was exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery in London. In 2011 he was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of The Royal Photographic Society. Jason lives in New York and London. www.jasonbellphoto.com If you have enjoyed this podcast why not check out our A Photographic Life Podcast Plus. Created as a learning resource that places the power of learning into the hands of the learner. To suggest where you can go, what you can read, who you can discover and what you can question to further your own knowledge, experience and enjoyment of photography. It will be inspiring, informative and enjoyable! You can find out here: www.patreon.com/aphotographiclifepodcast You can also access and subscribe to these podcasts at SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/unofphoto on iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/a-photographic-life/id1380344701 on Player FM https://player.fm/series/a-photographic-life and Podbean www.podbean.com/podcast-detail/i6uqx-6d9ad/A-Photographic-Life-Podcast Grant Scott is the founder/curator of United Nations of Photography, a Senior Lecturer and Subject Co-ordinator: Photography at Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, a working photographer, and the author of Professional Photography: The New Global Landscape Explained (Focal Press 2014) and The Essential Student Guide to Professional Photography (Focal Press 2015). His book New Ways of Seeing: The Democratic Language of Photography was published by Bloomsbury Academic in 2019. His documentary film, Do Not Bend: The Photographic Life of Bill Jay can now be seen at www.youtube.com/watch?v=wd47549knOU&t=3915s. © Grant Scott 2020