The May 13 issue of The British Journal of Photography devotes nine pages to an interview with Nadav Kander and features a diverse selection of his portraits from over the years. In “Nadav on Obama,” writer Diane Smyth speaks with Kander about his experience shooting the New York Times Magazine feature “Obama’s People.” That series of portraits, which the BJP describes as an “epic commission,” has taken on a life of its own—not just among journalists interested in how the project came together but in the fine-art world as well. The Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (http://www.bmag.org.uk/), for example, is hosting an exhibition of “Obama’s People” through August 31.
One thing we really like about the BJP feature is that it puts Kander’s Obama photographs into context by showcasing some of his earlier portraits—of, among others, Henry Kissinger, Giorgio Armani, Benicio Del Toro, and artist Tracey Emin, whom Kander depicted by way of details like a raised eyebrow, her bare knees, and the clasp of her bra pressed against her back. It seems that no matter who they are, when his subjects step before his camera, they are all Kander’s people.
