Jason Bell

Jason Bell is an English portrait and fashionphotographer who shares his time between London and New York, working for Vanity Fair, Vogue, Time and other magazines. Many of his photographs, including his set entitled, ‘An Englishman in New York’ are in the National Portrait Gallery. Having fallen for New York through a picture in his childhood home, Bell eventually moved there and loved the new found freedom he discovered there. A chance conversation lead him to the decision to discover through photography, why so many others had made the same move. Photographing celebrities such as Kate Winslet and Sting as well as everyday people, a rat catcher, a pilot, Bell also considered the question, why had he himself made that move. 

Like London, New York is a well photographed city so creating something new proved quite a challenge; Bell aimed to avoid clichés by thinking what he had noticed when first moving to New York. While photographing many of his subjects at work, he opted away from the obvious; historian Simon Schama, rather than being photographed at the university, was taken to the subway whereas author Vicky Ward sunbathed unnoticed by city crowds showing the unshockable nature of the New Yorker.

‘What do I remember noticing first when I came here? Seeing an expensively dressed woman in her 80s on the Upper East Side bending down to pick up dog shit with a perfectly manicured hand.’ Jason Bell

On 23 October 2013, Bell took the official christening photographs of Prince George. Very different from his New York set, these images could have been taken by any technically aware photographer. 

The Guardian newspaper describes the image of the core family as ‘pretty perfect as a document’ and goes on to discuss the technical qualities of the image. This image, to me looks like every image ever taken of the royal family; this is work. Bell may have enjoyed spending time with the family but I doubt that he got the same satisfaction taking this shot as he did creating his ‘Englishman in New York’ collection.  

Some shots are more natural in appearance, the one of the family framed by the window hints at a more normal, everyday world which they must inhabit sometimes; the slightly desaturated colours enhance the traditional feel of the image. Bell has also captured Kate’s love for her baby as she looks at him cradled in her arms. Beautiful as they are, it is clear that creativity is restricted and Bell’s voice is clearly muffled.

One of Bell's favourite shots:

'I think of Stephen as very learned, so I wanted a bit of gravitas. When he looked through the columns I remember saying, 'That looks really nice, now can you look a bit more nervous?' – which he did straightaway. I knew it was a good picture. It was a happy accident, but as you get better you have more happy accidents. The skill lies in tipping the odds in your favour.' Jason Bell