NancyNeyPix

I got into photography quite by chance. I was a senior psychology major finishing up my last semester at American University in Washington, DC and I took photography as an elective. Specifically BW and darkroom techniques. Very quickly into the semester I had an epiphany. I suddenly saw my life’s purpose and realized that this was what I was meant to do. What followed was a quest to learn everything I could about photography. It wasn’t easy. I had to do everything on my own. I went back to NYC after graduation and tried to get work assisting other photographers. But at that time no one hired women assistants. So, I got a job as a PA for a film production comopany that produced TV commercials. I practiced shooting bw stills on the set and then developing them myself and printing them as gifts for the clients. I tested with models and put a portfolio together. Eventually I had two photo studios in Manhattan. One on Union Square, I was there for 17 years and then a loft which I bought in 95, on the corner of Broadway and Houston. I was there for another 17 years. My work was primarily fashion and advertising - 90% was with models. I also contributed to Corbis and Getty Stock for a long time. My career was long and varied. Most of it was shooting film. I sold my loft in 2012 and moved to Coconut Grove. I started traveling and showing my pictures in the local Art Fairs. It’s been a great second act and I am so grateful for the appreciation I have gotten for these new images. The thing I love most about photography is how it transports you to an intense awareness. If you are out with your camera you are totally focused, living in the moment. This book is the culmination of the work I have done all my life. I am so curious about people from other cultures. I want to portray them with humanity and dignity. Many of these cultures will disappear in the near future and need to be celebrated and documented.