Seeking Refuge In Small Moments

Featuring Nick Prideaux Words by Nastasia Khmelnitski

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Nick Prideaux is an Australian photographer currently located in Paris, France. Nick has vast experience traveling and working globally in countries such as Australia, China, Japan, and Southeast Asia. Nick exhibited his work in galleries in London, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Montreal, Tokyo, and Bangkok, releasing his first publication, 008, in 2021 with Setanta Books. Nick creates sensual, dream-like images with a predominant element and emphasis on the relationship between light and the object. The sunlight washes the frame, revealing a hidden world of emotions and attachment to the story narrated. A touching, powerful tenderness shines through the images, inviting to become fully immersed in the fantasy and vision of the artist. Nick shares how the shift to discover his approach occurred, “In 2014, I switched primarily to 35mm and started to slow down, to take my time and be mindful of what was in the center of my frame. This is where I started to find my creative voice, a response to the noise and chaos of living in a metropolis.”

In this interview, we discuss Nick’s career and path toward recognizing his voice and vision through years of traveling and the decision to slow down turning to film photography. Nick shares his experience working on the 008 photo book, editing and sequencing his images to a narrative that tells his story honestly, on a more personal level, published by Setanta Books. We speak about how to approach personal and commercial projects in which a win-win situation can be achieved, keeping the photographer’s voice and vision authentic to his art. 

‘Photography soon became how I could center myself and stay present at the moment, and then I started to see the world a little differently. Living in cities like Beijing, Tokyo, and Bangkok, there is constant frequency and hum, so I learned to tune in to both the internal and external quiet and seek refuge in small moments.’

My Story

Hi Nick, we’re so glad to have this chat with you! You were born in Byron Bay, Australia, and traveled quite a lot, working in Australia, China, Japan, Thailand, and currently in France. What did you learn and discover about your photography through work in different countries and cultures? 

When I was first living outside Australia, photography was the immediate conduit to explore the new world around me. A lot of my early work was using the camera frantically as a way to document and to try and memorialize the 'newness.' In my first few years living in Japan, I kept this kind of visual diary of the neighborhoods I would visit and the food and people I would meet, and suddenly I amassed a library of images, but none was really memorable — I was moving too fast and too sporadically. In 2014, I switched primarily to 35mm and started to slow down, to take my time and be mindful of what was in the center of my frame. This is where I started to find my creative voice, a response to the noise and chaos of living in a metropolis. Photography soon became how I could center myself and stay present at the moment, and then I started to see the world a little differently. Living in cities like Beijing, Tokyo, and Bangkok, there is constant frequency and hum, so I learned to tune in to both the internal and external quiet and seek refuge in small moments.

‘Rather than just singular images, the sequencing was integral to shaping the book in a way where the reader goes on a journey and hopefully sees the world a little differently by the end of it.’

008

Let’s speak about your first photo book published in a collaboration between Setanta Books and Open Doors Gallery in 2021. What was the most significant development in working on this publication in terms of the selection of images, layout, paper, and eventually arranging the narrative and a personal story in a new way?

The process was really interesting for me as this was my first time working with a photo editor. I think what was most intriguing was the back-and-forth dialogue that we had concerning the final image selection. Having an editor and their way of seeing the overall arc of the book was important. Rather than just singular images, the sequencing was integral to shaping the book in a way where the reader goes on a journey and hopefully sees the world a little differently by the end of it. We started with a pool of about 400 images and worked our way down to a point where we felt it encapsulated my photography eloquently and told the story in a way that felt personal and intimate. I wanted the whole book to feel like an extension of my approach, so there was always a focus on simplicity and articulating my world honestly.

‘This constant search for these moments of fleeting truthfulness and beauty is what spurs me on. It's a morbid thought, about how many moments in this life do I have left?’

Light

One of the central photographic tools that you use and is prominent in your work is the observation of light and the discovery of the story through it. The voice you create is sensitive and gentle with a tint of dreaminess to it, as if allowing the viewer to enter your mind and browse through your intimate memories and the way you saw the moment unfold. What makes photography your main passion? 

Photography has always been a way for me to understand the world and a way to share how I see it. For me, the camera is a way to discover more about the world around me and the people, whom I share it with, it threads everything together. 

What keeps you going and discovering throughout the years? 

This constant search for these moments of fleeting truthfulness and beauty is what spurs me on. It's a morbid thought, about how many moments in this life do I have left? I do my best to stay curious, stay alert, and look for this beauty — this is the journey I have always had with photography. This type of present-moment awareness is key to how I work, so my photography is an extension of a mindset that I try to keep a hold of. 

‘I think it's so easy now to be lured by trends and what gets people's attention, but I have always tried to stick to my vision and maintain honest authorship over the images I make.’

Tumblr

Tumblr was one of the main platforms for emerging photographers to reach audiences, believe in their ability to bring a different vision and new angle, and succeed in the industry. Today it’s very different, and, one may argue, it's more difficult for a young photographer to find their way. What were the main lessons in your career or the main turning points that helped you in your way of becoming? 

I'm a firm believer that quality will always be discovered, despite how the world has changed, and social media has shifted the perception of 'success.' I'm a very quiet achiever and prefer to stay honest with myself and my ethos, but being consistent and true to my photographic style has definitely helped me reach the stage where I'm at. I think it's so easy now to be lured by trends and what gets people's attention, but I have always tried to stick to my vision and maintain honest authorship over the images I make. This is something that I hold dear to me, so the one lesson I've always tried to adhere to is that you have to be true to yourself and your work. 

As far as turning points, there was a huge shift for me when I moved to Paris in 2019, as this was when I decided to focus completely and wholeheartedly on my photography. Treating the practice like a job and turning up each day to work on something was an important change for me. Looking at it as continuous ongoing work means there is always something to practice, read about, or learn. You have to love it wholly and completely and tend to it — the work comes out of the doing. 

Personal and Commercial

Looking into your personal projects and commercial work, it pops up that you manage to keep your style and approach - your signature. What are the main challenges in doing that, and how do you overcome them?

I've been fortunate to work with some wonderful clients who have entrusted me with the freedom to create and 'do as I do.' Any project I take on is critical for my voice and vision to work with the client. Any commercial work I do needs to be an extension of my photographic world. There are certainly many challenges, but it's really about seeing how you can create a cohesive dialogue between your world and the clients'. Together you are creating a visual narrative, and everything needs to work in unison to balance without compromise. It's about finding that story together. When I'm working, I'm interpreting their vision with mine, and that can have its challenges — I think what's important is that I'm honest and upfront about what I can do for them, and in turn, they can have confidence in my work to deliver something that becomes 'ours.' 

A Sneak Peek 

What project/s are you currently working on, and what should we expect next in terms of themes you’re developing? 

This August, I'm doing a residency in Provence with Wooden Studios at La Maison de la Chapelle. The work will be a personal project based entitled — Grace Land. It's a photographic series based on the loss of my family house from the 2022 northeastern floods in Australia. Moreso, it's a visual representation of grief, loss, and the erasure of memory told through photography and video. The series will be photographed throughout the grounds of the residency location, using the building and elements of water to depict both the physical representation of the flood along with the emotional loneliness and longing for this sacred space.