illex:

illex welcomes English photographer Joe Nigel Coleman. Joe creates photographs that express so strongly the intensity of the visual image. Russian author Ivan Turgenev wrote in his novel Fathers and Sons, “A picture shows me at a glance what it takes dozens of pages of a book to expound.” In many ways, Joe’s work and his approach to photography epitomize this maxim. In looking at his photographs for much longer than a glance, one can appreciate the ineffable power of the visual image.

Please enjoy his work and his interview.



















In the first three photos shown above, there is an overwhelmingly uplifting spirit of adventure. These photographs possess a natural vision of the beauty of the outdoors as well as a strong representation of the human desire to interact with this outdoor world. Please tell us what these themes of adventure and interaction mean to you.

They mean my livelihood; I want to be able to capture what it’s like to experience these places, I want you to feel like you are there too. There is somthing so special about being out there, something that I can’t explain with words, maybe with photos.



Another theme apparent in several of your photographs is that of animal life. In the photograph of the sheep and the photograph of the birds, you have shown groups of animals in their respective natural environments. Please discuss your affinity for the animal world and how that relates to your photography.

I suppose I’m just fascinated by animals in general, why they do what they do, and how they do it. I’m living in London at the moment and pretty much the only wild animals I see are foxes and squirells. The foxes are amazing, I see them most nights as I’m coming home from work. Sometimes I’ll try to stalk them to see what they are up to but they are usually too crafty for me and I end up loosing them. I’m going to try to get a good photo of one before I leave this city.



Powerful presentations of natural rock formations figure prominently in the final two photographs shown above. With these images you have created strong compositions with extraordinary natural light. In the absence of a human presence, these images also speak to the pure beauty of nature. Please explain your own relationship to nature and its inherent beauty.

I’d prefer not to use words to explain the relationship I have with nature but just let my photos do the talking.



Please visit Joe’s Flickr and website for more.